Match Reaction - Ali Hepher
By Mark Stevens
7/1/23
Ali Hepher praised his Exeter Chiefs side as they bounced back to winning ways in the Gallagher Premiership with a 35-12 victory over Northampton Saints at Sandy Park.
Skipper Lukę Cowan-Dickie helped himself to two of the home side’s five tries, the other coming from Sam Simmonds, Olly Woodburn and Henry Slade, all of which were converted by Joe Simmonds.
In reply, the Saints countered with second half scores from Fraser Dingwall and Matt Proctor, but it was not enough to thwart the Chiefs, who have moved up to fifth in the standings, just a point off the all-important, play-off places.
Having seen his side humbled 35-3 at leaders Saracens the previous week, Hepher was quick to highlight the transformation within a week.
“I was pleased with the way we hit the pitch,” said the head coach. “We had clearly learnt lessons from last week and I thought our attitude and our movement, especially early in the game was outstanding. Tactically we moved ourselves around the pitch really well and we didn’t expose ourselves in what were tough conditions out there.”
Having been undone by Saints earlier in the season and with the visitors fresh from a convincing home win over Harlequins, Hepher knew the threat his former club would pose in this Round 15 encounter.
“With a side like Saints, you’ve got to box smart,” he said. “They are a dangerous side and they still had their moments today. The way we worked, both in attack and defence, and the way we pressed them, we took that space away from them, which was really important.”
Denying their rivals of any reward, as well as picking up the bonus point, meant it was a job well done for the Devonians on home turf.
“With 15 minutes to go, the message going on was to give them nothing,” added Hepher. “To take a bonus point ourselves was huge. It’s something we’ve not done enough of this season. We’ve scored three tries a few times, but then not converted that into the bonus.
“Yes, that was good, but we’re equally aware we still have plenty to work on. Our penalty count was high again and some of those penalties are daft ones. We’ve talked a lot about that this week and we need to address it. We need to be better in what we do, simply because you can’t give up easy yards for opposition like this.”
Whilst delighted with his side’s five-point haul, the major downside of the day was the sight of Cowan-Dickie being helped from the field with an injury to one of his ankles.
“It’s too early to say what has happened,” said Hepher. “Any time you see Luke leaving the field, you worry because he’s a tough player. Right now, he’s sore and we will just have to wait and see what the scans say. It didn’t look great, but we will no more once he’s been properly checked out.”
For Hepher and the Chiefs, the Premiership will now be put on the back burner for the next fortnight as the club return to Heineken Champions Cup action, starting with a lengthy trek to South Africa to face the Bulls.
“It’s hugely exciting,” added Hepher. “It’s a different competition, a different climate, a different country, but it’s something to really enjoy. For us, though, it’s a massive opportunity at the end of next week to push our claims for top seedings later in the tournament. It’s an opportunity for us to really go after things.
“It will be tough, we know that, but it’s a chance to test ourselves against the best. It will be good to put ourselves up against one of the best and see where we are at.”