Horstmann ready for battle

Exeter Chiefs will “throw everything” at Wasps when the two sides meet in a Premiership clash at the Ricoh Arena tomorrow (2pm), according to flanker Kai Horstmann.

Horstmann, who retains the number seven jersey this weekend, has said the squad will put the disappointment of defeat in their first European Challenge Cup semi-final behind them on their return to Premiership action.

It took one of Gloucester’s best performances of the season to deny Chiefs a first-ever European final, as they won 30-19 at Kingsholm.

However, Horstmann said the loss would only be “ammo” for making sure they got their preparation just right for this weekend’s clash.

“I think when you lose a game like that and the stakes are pretty high you are disappointed so there’s an element of the guys being bitter about that, and that’s certainly a bit of ammo for making sure we get the mental side of things right,” he said.

“We’ve put a big focus on it, we know we’ve got the following weekend off now, so we’re taking it very much in isolation and making sure we turn up in the right mental state, and making sure we give a really good account of ourselves up there.”

Chiefs are still occupying a coveted top-four spot in the Premiership table, while Wasps are two places further back, with the top six qualifying for the European Champions Cup.

Horstmann said that far from putting the squad under pressure, the position has galvanised them into a single entity.

“It’s really exciting,” he added. “And exciting that as a squad there’s been huge involvement in a lot of games on different fronts and fighting different battles.

“Ultimately I think that pulls us together pretty strong and makes it collectively a really big collective effort through the season, and that’s been great to be part of – really great.

“I think it’s in our hands, and a little bit of unchartered waters for quite a lot of us.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise that we’re here – we’ve always had confidence that we will get here, and there’s big awards at the end of the season.

“So we certainly want to take the right options when they come our way. This weekend is a massive game for us, we know that as a group of players, and it’s really exciting to be part of that.”

Chiefs’ last clash in the Premiership was a win over Northampton, but Horstmann said that had no bearing on tomorrow’s match.



“It was a big day for us and we’re pretty proud of that performance by all of us,” he said. “But I think it will be very naïve to try and think that it’s going to have any bearing on the way we take on the next challenge – we were pretty disappointing against Gloucester but this is a whole new challenge and we’re looking at it that way.

“We’re looking at it in isolation as a game, we haven’t got a weekend off so let’s throw everything at this.”

He added: “Wasps are certainly a formidable threat, especially at home – they seem to have made a quick transition to the Ricoh and have had some good results there.

“They play a really good brand of rugby and are a top side, and this game is massive for them. It’s massive for both sides. It’s going to be a great spectacle I’d imagine.”

As for the final part of the season, Horstmann said there are ‘big rewards’ for pushing on and finishing the job of not just ending up in the top four, but as high as possible.

“We’ve spoken about it within the squad that this is where we want to be,” he said. “We want to be at the business end of the season challenging for big games. It’s a testament to the hard work of everyone, and hopefully there’s going to be big rewards for all the players, coaches and everyone at the club.”