Chiefs side to face Gloucester
By Mark Stevens
2/12/22
Ricky Pellow has called for ‘more of the same’ from his Exeter Chiefs side as they wrap up the pool stages of this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup with the visit of Gloucester to Sandy Park on Sunday (3pm).
Victories over Bristol Bears and Bath, coupled with a five-point victory for their cancelled clash with the now defunct Worcester Warriors, means the Chiefs have a ‘winner takes all’ showdown against the Cherry & Whites, who themselves have collected maximum points from their three games so far.
Buoyed by last weekend’s 25-22 win over Bath, Pellow will again call upon many of those who produced the goods to see off their Westcountry rivals in atrocious conditions a week ago.
It was a performance that highlighted many positives, particularly the emergence of a number of the club’s highly-rated youngsters, and he’s keen for them all to take shine when they take centre stage again this weekend.
“We we’re really pleased, not just with the result, but with the performance as well,” said Pellow. “That victory has set us up nicely and takes us into what is now a massive game against Gloucester this weekend. They have been the form side in our group, winning every game with a bonus point, so we know it’s going to be super tough, but a great challenge at the same time.”
With a potential home semi-final spot up for grabs, the Chiefs are well aware that victory is essential in their quest for glory.
“It’s all in our hands, we know what we have to do,” added Pellow. “We know all about Gloucester’s strength, particularly around their strong maul game, they use that as a real weapon to gain momentum and territory, so we have to stop that. Equally, they have quality half-backs who like to control the game, so again we need to shut off that threat and their key runners.
“At the same time, we too have to impose ourselves on them. We have to get our game right and look to build a lead, put pressure on them and, hopefully, do enough to try and get that bonus point.”
As mentioned, the Chiefs stick largely with the same personnel who did the job against Bath last time out, although there are slight tweaks to the starting line-up with Jack Dunne and Lewis Pearson added to the pack, while behind Will Becconsall, Solomone Kata and Dan John also get the nod from the outset.
“It’s a good mix we’ve got again this weekend,” continued Pellow. “This competition is one we’ve always looked to attack and it offers a great opportunity for not only those younger players to play under the Exeter Chiefs banner, but also some of the more experienced guys to get game time under their belts and push for selection in other competitions.
“Personally, I wish we had more games like this. With no A League these days plus those big blocks where players can go without playing under the Chiefs, it’s a real shame. That said, we have great links with our loan clubs and you can see that development those players are getting is really helping when they come back into games like this.
“Looking at last week, you saw how well the new guys from Wasps performed, but so too did a lot of other younger players. It’s great for their exposure and their development that they not only get to play at this level, but also in front of big crowds.
“The crowds we’ve had against Bath and Bristol have been outstanding and I can’t thank the supporters enough for coming out like they have. Hopefully, we can have more of the same this weekend.”
