Parling revs up for final charge

By Mark Stevens
14/4/2016

Geoff Parling says Exeter Chiefs must not let the fruits of their labour this season fall by the wayside as the season reaches the so-called ‘business end’.

With just three rounds of the scheduled Aviva Premiership season left, the Devon club are handily placed to book a first-ever appearance in the end of season play-offs.

And tomorrow the seasonal quest continues for Rob Baxter’s side as they make the trek up the M5 to face Gloucester at Kingsholm (7:45pm).

It’s a key encounter for the Chiefs, who will be looking for the perfect pick-me-up after suffering European heartache at the hands of Wasps last weekend.

With time up on the clock, Kiwi fly-half Jimmy Gopperth sunk the hearts of all associated with the Chiefs as his last-gasp conversion saw his side into the European Champions Cup semi-finals courtesy of a 25-24 victory.

It was a bitter pill to swallow – particularly given the display Exeter had shown throughout an absorbing contest – but sport can be cruel at times and England international Parling is looking for a quick riposte.

“With all the good work the team has done starting in pre-season, it is a case of backing it up again and keeping going and producing the goods when it is needed in these games at the end,” said the 32-year-old lock.

"It is not about how we played in the last game but what this team and the club and the lads have done all season. There has been so much effort in so many games that it would be brilliant if we make it count for something tangible at the end."

As someone who has lifted the Premiership title in the past with Leicester Tigers, Parling knows all too well what is needed to succeed during these final stages of battle and has challenged his team-mates to step up and deliver a ‘massive’ final push for honours.

"We had to review the (Wasps) game but quickly move onto Gloucester and the challenge there because it is a massive game," he said. "We'll see on Friday how the boys have reacted.

"Every game left for us now at this stage of the season is a massive game and you have to back up a big emotional performance with another one and another one and it's going to be like that for the run-in.

"They are big games and you have to get bang up there with huge emotion and you have to back it up the next week and the week after.

"The Shed will be right behind them and if you make any mistakes they are on your back, but that is the nature of Kingsholm and so it is a good stadium and a good place to play."

Like the Chiefs, Gloucester also suffered European disappointment last Saturday, surprisingly relinquishing their European Challenge Cup title at home to the Dragons 23-21.

Parling expects a response of sorts from the Cherry & Whites, but equally wants the Chiefs to showcase their own fighting spirit. Baxter’s side gained plenty of plaudits from all corners following last weekend’s display, but as the British & Irish Lion was keen to stress, it counts for little when you end up on the losing side.

"It might have been a good game for the neutral to watch but it wasn't necessarily to play in because we lost a game we should have won," said Parling. "I think we showed that we can mix it in that stage of the competition but I think we are a bit better than that.

"With 15 to go and camped on their line and some pick-and-goes – if we score that then we go 20 points up, but we get turned over and the rest is history. We were in a very, very strong position. We put so much work and effort into it but we just let it slip away.

"That game at the weekend is one you won't ever get back, you won't ever get that opportunity back. You just have to make sure you do absolutely everything to win those games."