Match Reaction - Ricky Pellow
By Mark Stevens
19/3/22
Ricky Pellow praised the ‘fight and character’ of his Exeter Chiefs side as they came from behind to defeat Worcester Warriors 31-29 in Round Four of this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup at Sandy Park.
A hat-trick of tries from hooker Max Norey, plus further touchdowns for fellow forwards Cory Teague and Danny Southworth, were the highlights in a spirited showing from the Chiefs, who must now wait to see if they will advance into the latter stages of the competition.
In reply, the Warriors - victors over the Chiefs in the Gallagher Premiership just seven days earlier - countered with scores of their own from Alex Hearle, Tom Howe, Will Chudley and Isaac Miller, but it wasn’t enough to deny the Devonians.
Post-game, a delighted Pellow wasted little time in promoting his side’s performance, which included notable displays from three debutants, Sam Prior, Tom Hitchcock and Sam Leworthy.
“We said before the game that we wanted the guys to come back in and be proud of the performance they’ve put in - and that’s exactly what we can do,” said Pellow. “The fight and character they showed to come from behind, especially when Worcester had momentum in that second half, was outstanding.
“To rip the game back like they did, you can’t help but give them credit. Not just today, but all week they’ve stepped up, worked hard for one another and just gone about what we’ve asked them to do. It wasn’t perfect, but to show the character and the fight they did, it was exactly what we wanted as coaches.”
With the teams deadlocked at 19-19 at the break, it was Worcester who edged in front during the opening exchanges of the second half. The Chiefs, though, would not go quietly and their efforts were rewarded with the scores for Southworth and Norey.
“I thought Max was outstanding, especially getting his hat-trick,” added Pellow. “He’s been in and around the Premiership squad in recent weeks and that’s really rubbing off on him. Today, he was offering himself up for a lot of carrying and he was very good with it. Also, Arthur Relton backed up what he’s been doing in the BUCS League with the University, but if you look across the whole squad, everyone had individual moments in that game and they showed what they can do.”
The return to fitness of senior stars Stu Townsend and Will Witty was another positive for the Chiefs, who must now ready themselves for next week’s visit of table-topping Leicester Tigers in the Premiership.
“I thought those senior guys really added something today,” said Pellow. “They stood up, they offered that experience at crucial times, and they just took control of things when they needed to. Having guys like that back and available is key because we’ve got some very big games coming up over these next few weeks and months.
“What we’ve done today will play a big part leading into not just next week’s games, but all those games after that. As a side you can see we are making strides each week. Last week was disappointing up at Worcester, but the fight we showed - even when we went down a man - augurs well moving forward.”