Hepher happy to take the win
By Mark Stevens
05/01/20
Ali Hepher admitted it was far from perfect from his Exeter Chiefs side, but they still had enough about them to sink rivals London Irish at the Madejski Stadium today.
The Chiefs kicked-off the New Year much the same they ended 2019, securing a hard-fought victory against the Exiles.
Centre Sam Hill scored a try in each half for the Devonians, who also had Luke Cowan-Dickie, Dave Dennis, Ollie Devoto and Stu Townsend all on the try-scoring charts.
All six tries were converted by fly-half Gareth Steenson, who also added a second half penalty, to complete the job for the visitors.
In reply, Irish countered with four tries of their own – two of them coming when the Chiefs were down to 13 men – following yellow cards for Devoto and winger Olly Woodburn.
Belgium Tuatagaloa, Albert Tuisue, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Steve Mafi were their scorers, ensuring the hosts of a crucial losing bonus point, which could well come in handy as the season continues to progress.
Post-game, Chiefs’ head coach Hepher gave his assessment on his side’s latest display, which came a week after they defeated defending champions Saracens 14-7 at Sandy Park.
“We’re really pleased with the way the guys fought out there today,” he said. “Especially after last week, what with all the emotion we chucked into that game, in the past we’ve tended to slip off games like this the following week. That’s why, all week, we’ve been drilling into the guys the importance of turning up and putting in a performance.
“It’s always tough when you have such a big game mid-season, like we did last week, but we knew we had to respond today and that is what this side is getting better at.
“It wasn’t perfect and there were lots of mistakes out there. Our discipline was a factor too in the second half, but we had enough fight about us to stick in there and win against what was a tough Irish side.”
Having established a 28-7 lead at the break, the Chiefs added to their tally early in the second half before Irish started to hit back. Tuisue got their second try, only for the visitors to respond in kind with a score from replacement Townsend.
However, two deliberate knock-ons from Woodburn and Devoto saw both players sent to the sidelines for ten minutes by referee Christophe Ridley. And it was during that period that Irish bagged further scores from Hassell-Collins and Mafi.
Thankfully for the Chiefs, that was all the home side could muster and when Steenson bagged a penalty, it gave the Devonians the necessary breathing space to close out the game.
“Obviously it was a bit of a concern when we down to 13 men,” explained Hepher. “During that period there were a couple of decisions we could have done better, like we could have hold of the ball for a bit longer, and we kind of drifted towards rucks when clearly they had the space out wide.
“In situations like that, we need to be a little smarter, especially if we’re down one or two men, but we dug in and we fought hard enough to ensure there wasn’t too many issues after that.”
Centres Hill and Devoto certainly caught the eye for the visitors, as did No.8 Sam Simmonds, whose seasonal form is sure to have been noted by watching England head coach Eddie Jones.
“Ollie had an unfortunate injury at the start of the season and it meant we missed him through that World Cup period,” continued Hepher. “Once we got him fit and training again, he played one half in the A League, where he was fantastic, and we’ve dropped in ever since.
“Hilly, I thought, was outstanding today. He’s a player that is underestimated a lot of the time by people, but he’s strong and physical, he talks a lot more now, and he’s matured very well. Between the pair of them, they did a great job out there today.”
Both will be expected to be part of Exeter’s travelling squad that will head for Glasgow next weekend for Round Five of the Heineken Champions Cup.
The Chiefs are top of Pool Two, having collected 19 out of a possible 20 points on offer. One more point North of the Border will guarantee them a quarter-final placing for only the second time in the club’s history. However, Hepher insists the job is far from finished and that his side will be looking to kick on further against the Warriors.
“If you look around, lots of sides have been collecting points,” said Hepher. “What we have to do is pick up as many as we can. Even if you drop one game, you are not exactly safe. That’s why it’s important we are on it again next week. The challenge for us is not only to top our pool, but also fight to get that home quarter-final.”