Hepher hails Chiefs win
By Mark Stevens
24/11/18
As the man who oversees the attacking prowess of Exeter Chiefs, head coach Ali Hepher was quick to praise the defensive resolve of his side as they maintained their unbeaten record in this season’s Gallagher Premiership with victory at home to Gloucester.
The Chiefs made it eight wins in as many starts this term, sealing their latest success with a try apiece for Nic White and Alex Cuthbert, while fly-half Gareth Steenson weighed in with a further 13 points in the 23-6 triumph.
Gloucester playmaker Danny Cipriani kicked two early penalties at Sandy Park, but they were rare bright spots for the Cherry & Whites, who had arrived in deepest Devon brimming with confidence after an impressive win against Leicester Tigers last time out.
In what was the first instalment of a three-game series between the two clubs, who are set to meet on successive weekends next month in the Heineken Champions Cup, it was the Chiefs who laid down a marker to claim the early bragging rights.
“At the start of the day we would have taken any kind of win against Gloucester, who have been in great form,” said Hepher at the final whistle. “I’m pleased with the endeavour we showed, particularly as the conditions were always going to dictate what type of game it was going to be.
“If we’re honest, the first 20 minutes wasn’t great from us and we presented them with a number of opportunities. After that, we then grabbed hold of the game and we carried out a lot of what we said we wanted to do.That in turn led to the game being broken up a bit and us scoring two long range tries, which proved to be key moments in the game.”
The victory was based around an excellent defensive display, and Hepher added: “The boys dug in to a man, our line speed was very good and we made some good double tackles, and our leg drive within those tackles was very good.
“It meant we were able to exert pressure, and it was one of those days where probably not having the ball was the key for us, because errors come from that, and once the errors come, you get opportunities in attack, and we managed to capitalise on them, even though they were long-range scores.”
As so often is the case in rugby, the backs lapped up the riches by scoring the tries, but Hepher was quick to highlight the work put in by the Exeter pack, both in attack and defence, which in turn helped to lay the foundations for this latest victory.
“Up front, I thought our pack of forwards did exceptionally well,” continued Hepher. “There is no better driver of a pack of forward than Rob Hunter, who even without four first-choice props, was able at the end to being on two youngsters - with not a lot of experience playing at this level - and still get go forward at the scrum.
“Equally, we saw massive improvements in our defence. I know Jules (Salvi) was disappointed with last week at Bristol with a few things, and he let the guys know that this week, but you saw the response from all of them and we built a good wall today.”
Among those to impress for the Chiefs was former Gloucester forward Matt Kvesic, who Hepher acknowledged had another impressive game in the back-row.
“He is going well and he is in the thick of most things,” said Hepher. “He had one fantastic steal on the floor in the far corner, and that was probably the key moment in the game. With 20 minutes to go, they could have exerted quite a bit of pressure on us, and he managed to get over the ball.
“He was a constant threat at the breakdown, he is obviously enjoying his rugby, and his performances have shot up from last year so we are really pleased with him.”
White’s first-half try was one of true quality, but while the backs carved out the touchdown, it was based on a solid Exeter scrum.
“The damage was done by the forwards, and that gave us a free ball and the chance to score,” said Hepher. “Gareth Steenson executed the kick perfectly into space and Santiago Cordero taking the ball at full tilt was crucial. It meant he was able to step a defender and then link up with Nic, who scored under the posts.
“Our second try, the interception by Alex Cuthbert, came at an important time and took the wind a little bit out of Gloucester’s sails.That said, from our perspective, after that score we dropped our intensity a little bit, and we invited a bit of pressure onto us, but equally, we were very good dealing with that pressure, and we were able to defend and keep them at bay.”
Looking ahead to two more fixtures with Gloucester in Europe, Hepher commented: “I think they will be isolated games and conditions will probably be different in two weeks’ time.Tactics will be very different, and this game gives us the chance to look at each other and how we match up against each other in terms of attack and defence.”