Chiefs Women to face Bristol Bears
By Harry Scott-Munro
15/4/22
A significant milestone will be reached tomorrow as Exeter Chiefs Women play their first ever semi-final at Sandy Park (2pm).
It is perhaps apt that the landmark occasion should come against Westcountry rivals Bristol Bears, where a spot in the inaugural Allianz Cup Final is up for grabs.
Having won all three of their previous group games in the competition, the Chiefs were forced to sit out the final round of fixtures, as their match away to Saracens was cancelled due to a Covid outbreak within the Londoners’ ranks.
Now though, eyes are firmly fixed on a first ever knockout clash, with Head Coach Susie Appleby admitting that “the girls are buzzing.”
“There have been a lot of firsts over the last couple of years, but this is the first semi-final. We’re excited but we’re trying to treat it like any other game as we have done week to week.”
Whilst Appleby insists that it is important for her side to treat tomorrow's encounter like any other match, she is hoping that her side start faster than they did in their last Cup outing against Loughborough Lightning.
And whilst the final score was comprehensive enough for the Chiefs, they were made to work hard by a resilient Lightning side, with Appleby hoping that her side are able to improve on their performance from the first whistle come kick-off.
“We’re really conscious that prior to Loughborough, there was a three-week window where we hadn’t played. We just felt that we were a bit flat and slow to start. This time, we’ve had a hit out and a game play session with Ricky Pellow, but there’s only so much you can do,” she explained.
Appleby also admitted that there was an extra element of spice to this Westcountry derby, with a number of her Chiefs contingent having previously played for the Bears.
“We have to hope that the girls are up for the game. Many of them used to play for Bristol so, there’s a hidden motivation if you like. We’ve prepared really well and we’re ready to go for Saturday.”
Exeter and Bristol will meet in the final round of the Allianz Premier 15s season as well, with the match potentially serving as a de-facto play-off to decide who has home advantage in the semi-finals.
The first port of call though remains the semi-final this weekend and Appleby is refusing to get too far ahead of herself, against a side that have come on leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Dave Ward.
“They are a very good side. They can attack from anywhere because they have a strong pack and a really good set of backs, no matter who is in the shirt,” explained Appleby. “They have a real energy and buzz about them, which I love. They play a really nice style of rugby. It will be a good competition on Saturday.”
Ahead of kick-off, Appleby has made several alterations to the side that was going to start against Saracens. The side is bolstered by the return of Appleby’s England U20s contingent, with Flo Robinson returning at scrum-half in place of Brooke Bradley, who reverts to the bench, whilst Jennine Detiveaux and Olivia Jones switch wings. Up front, Laura Delgado starts at loosehead in place of DaLeaka Menin, whilst co-captain Poppy Leitch shifts into the second-row in the absence of Canadian lock McKinley Hunt.
With the Chiefs’ Canadian contingent unavailable for this encounter, England U20s captain Maisy Allen starts at openside, after a string of impressive performances in a white jersey, whilst Nancy McGillivray will be looking to add her typically front foot style of play to proceedings should she come off the bench.
“They have players away, but so do we," added Appleby. "They’ve got players who have been playing consistently in the cup and others dropping in out. It will be exciting to see who is on the field.”
With the Easter weekend and fine weather forecast, Appleby was also hoping for a strong turnout from the Chiefs faithful, as she looks for them to roar her side into their first ever final.
“It’s a local derby with Bristol coming down the road. They haven’t been here this season and with it being Easter weekend, hopefully people will come. The girls love it when we have the crowds at Sandy Park, so hopefully people will come and be up for this one.”
Tomorrow’s clash signals the beginning of a brutal run-in for Appleby’s side, with a final cup fixture preceding back-to-back home fixtures against Saracens and Bristol to round of the league season.
Whilst Appleby still has designs on a cup triumph, as well as a play-off berth, she admits that her side are now in the “business end” of the campaign, where every victory and every point will be crucial.
“We are in the latter stages of the season but there’s still physically quite a long time to go. Is it four games or six games that we will be involved in? We obviously hope that it is the latter,” joked Appleby. “Either way, we know that this is the business end of the season, and we need to be on the money. There’s no easy game coming. That’s a real challenge in itself but the girls love playing in those types of games. The sun’s out, the weather is good, so hopefully we can try and make the most of it.”
Tomorrow’s semi-final will be streamed live on the Exeter Chiefs YouTube channel for those unable to make it to Sandy Park, whilst tickets are still available for the biggest match so far in the fledgling history of Exeter Chiefs Women.
