Yeandle looks to get back on track

By Mark Stevens
21/4/2016

Exeter Chiefs club captain Jack Yeandle says he and his team-mates need to banish the disappointment of recent weeks to the back of their minds and nail down their place in the Aviva Premiership play-offs.

Having seen their European Champions Cup hopes ended by Wasps right at the death, the Chiefs were then undone again on the road in their last outing as Gloucester claimed a 16-9 league win at Kingsholm.

That setback meant Rob Baxter's side not only surrendered second spot in the table to Wasps - who themselves overcame Worcester Warriors - but also denied them the chance of booking their play-off berth with two games remaining.

That said, should Sale Sharks fail to record maximum points from this Saturday's re-arranged Premiership outing to Bath, then the Devonians will be guaranteed a last four spot for the first time in the club's history.

Should that be the case, the Chiefs will then head into their final two fixtures of the scheduled season - against Wasps (home) and Harlequins (away) - knowing that two victories would guarantee them home advantage in the play-offs.

It's a challenge Yeandle and the Chiefs are keen to take on, particularly having been given the early part of this week off in a bid to recharge their batteries ahead of the sold out encounter on May 1.

"The final two games can't really be any more important for us if we want to achieve history with this club," said Yeandle. "If we want to push on and strive on from what we have achieved so far this season, we have to go after those wins.

"That Wasps game certainly has an added incentive, especially after the European result up there a few weeks ago, but we have got to reset physically and emotionally and with a small amount of detail.

"If you get those three things right, go away and have a few days off then we can come back firing on all cylinders, especially on our own patch against Wasps."

Indeed, Yeandle says the Chiefs will need to come out firing against Wasps, who this weekend have a testing Champions Cup semi-final against Saracens to play.

"You can channel whatever emotion you want to put in from our last performance we put in up there, but we need to come out firing," added the 26-year-old hooker.

Certainly that has been the case at Sandy Park for some time for the Chiefs, who have lost just once on home soil in 15 months.

Yeandle is well aware home advantage is a telling factor for any side and hopes a return to familiar surroundings - particularly after recent weeks - can help provide the key ingredient.

"Obviously there is big disappointment after the Gloucester game," he continued. "It has made the end of the season much more difficult for us, but it seems we do like to make things difficult for ourselves.

"That result up there has meant it s certainly going to be a bigger challenge than what we would have liked to have had. We made too many silly errors, went out of system and given them pens which they have taken advantage of. Had we stuck to the simple things, then we cold have come away with something else."