Match Reaction - Ali Hepher
By Mark Stevens
6/3/22
Exeter Chiefs head coach Ali Hepher said his side produced some of their best form of the season to date as they maintained their push for the Gallagher Premiership play-offs with a 19-12 victory over Sale Sharks at Sandy Park.
South African forward Jacques Vermeulen marked his return from a nine-month lay-off by scoring two of Exeter’s three tries, the other coming from winger Olly Woodburn with Joe Simmonds slotting two conversions.
Having trailed 19-0 at the break, the Sharks were much improved after the break, cutting the deficit with scores from Ewan Ashman and Curtis Langdon, but it was never enough to thwart the Devonians who have now won their last four games.
“Sale are contenders and they are going to be in and around that top four, so it’s certainly a big win for us,” said Hepher at the final whistle. “In an ideal world we would have loved to have had a bonus point and denied them one, but at the start of the day I would happily have taken any kind of win and that’s what we got.”
A dominant first half showing laid the foundations for the Chiefs and Hepher was quick to praise the commitment shown, both in attack and defence, during that opening 40 minutes.
“I think first half that’s the best stuff we have played all season,” added Hepher. “To hit the ground running in that manner was outstanding. I thought our energy, our carrying through the holes and the way we got the ball to space, it was all there.
“Second half, that was more disappointing. I felt we kicked too much and too early. We needed to be more direct and play like we had in the first half, but those are good problems to have, especially on the back of a win like that.”
With the Chiefs squad starting to thicken out again following the return of some key names following lengthy spells on the sidelines, Hepher is excited at what can be achieved between now and the end of the season
“I think since the turn of the year, we’ve kind of reset ourselves a bit,” he continued. “Training has had a real energy to it. Having the Six Nations on has meant some of the younger guys have had to come in, but they’ve added a real freshness and buzz to things.
“Everyone is working hard and although we didn’t see the rewards of things straight away against the likes of London Irish and Wasps, we still showed good signs in both of those games and since then we’ve been able to get a few wins, score tries, and really build our attack.”
Helping to head up the Chiefs charge on Sunday was Vermeulen, who showed no sign of rustiness in a man-of-the-match display.
“We’ve been keen to get Jacques back for a few weeks, not just because he was hunting first team boys down in training,” laughed Hepher. “You saw today, though, what he brings to the team. He brings energy, physicality and a lot of other qualities, so to get 50 minutes into him was important, and now we’ll look to build from there.”