Match Reaction - Ali Hepher

By Mark Stevens
26/11/22

Exeter Chiefs were made to pay the penalty for their ill-discipline and high error count in their latest Gallagher Premiership defeat away to Newcastle Falcons.

That was the tough-talking view of head coach Ali Hepher as he watched his side slip to a fourth league defeat in five games, going down 25-22 to the Falcons at Kingston Park.

Three converted tries for Ruben Van Heerden, Jack Yeandle and Scott Sio were the highlights for the Chiefs in the North East, but it was the other stuff in between that will be of more concern to Hepher moving forward.

Like their rivals, the Falcons - who had only won once at home in the league in 2022 - scored three tries of their own through George McGuigan, Mateo Carreras and Guy Pepper, as well as a crucial match-winning penalty from fly-half Brett Connon.

“Full credit to Newcastle, they stuck at it and they are a tough side to beat,” said Hepher at the final whistle. “They were aggressive at the breakdown, aggressive with the ball, and they scored some good tries, so full credit to them.

“Equally, we have to look at ourselves. We’re disappointed with the amount of errors and the amount of penalties that we’ve given away and conceded. You can’t really get into any game with the amount we’ve produced, so we must be stronger on ourselves.

“Right now, there is a mental weakness there because we’re giving away too many penalties right the way across the season. We’re in the top two currently and we’ve added to it tonight. I don’t mind when they are for fighting on the edge or scrapping for the ball because we want them to be in the fight. It’s more the mindless ones and the crazy ones that are hurting us.

“Tonight, we have to react quicker to things, especially around the breakdown. They are full hands at it, whereas we stood and watched it and that’s where we paid the price.”

As well as the high penalty count, the unforced errors chart made for equally unpleasant reading and the Chiefs will need to address that, particularly with European fixtures against Castres and the Bulls coming up, as well as festive assignments against Bath and Saracens to contend with before the year is out.