Match Reaction - Susie Appleby
By Mark Stevens
18/12/22
Susie Appleby believes there is still ‘more to come’ from her Exeter Chiefs side after they continued their winning ways in the Allianz Premier 15s with victory over visiting Harlequins at Sandy Park.
A dominant first half display laid the foundations for a fourth successive league victory for the Chiefs, who remain just four points adrift Gloucester-Hartpury at the top of the table.
Maisy Allen maintained her rich vein of form with two of the home side’s four tries on the day. Fellow forwards Cliodhna Moloney and Hope Rogers grabbed the other two with fly-half Liv McGoverne kicking the remainder of Exeter’s points.
Understandably, Appleby was delighted with her side’s latest performance. She said: “That was a really pleasing performance, especially in what were tricky conditions. I thought the way we managed the game throughout was first class and we got our rewards.”
Exeter had the all-important bonus point wrapped up by half time and although there were no points scored by either side in the second half, it was the doggedness in defence that Appleby was keen to highlight.
“We knew Quins’ weren’t going to lie down and that’s what we said at half time to the girls,” added Appleby. “What we could do, however, was defuse the pressure they were putting on us, simply by hanging onto the ball or by clearing our lines when we had to.
“I thought our forwards were phenomenal. The set-piece was outstanding throughout, whether it be us taking their ball or us keeping ours. A lot of hard work has gone into that, it just doesn’t happen, so it’s great to see that being rewarded. Equally, we have huge competition for places at the moment and you can see that is driving standards across the board.”
Not for the first time this season, flanker Allen was again the stand-out performer for the Chiefs. The England Under-20s starlet has been in sensational form and Appleby was happy to wax lyrical about her on-field efforts.
“We’ve spoken a lot about investing in our young players and Maisy is one of them,” she said. “She’s a key member of our squad and like with others such as Merryn Doidge and Flo Robinson, she’s one of those young players who is coming through our own system.
“Right now, all of them are performing so well and keeping full internationals out of the side on merit. It’s fantastic to see what they are doing in terms of playing and their development - and there are more behind them doing just the same job.”
Exeter’s victory also brought to an end a three-game winning streak for Harlequins, who despite huffing and puffing at Sandy Park, never really looked like scoring against the Chiefs.
Appleby refused to call this latest success a ‘statement win’, preferring instead to look to the future. She continued: “The focus is all on us. Yes, we had a strong side come to us today, but that was an invitation to our girls to up their game, which is exactly what they did. Right now, I’ve told them to go away, enjoy this win, enjoy some rest and look to get better.
“I’ve no doubt there is lots more to come from us this season. Whether that is the levels we hit, the standard we show, I just want them all to be part of something special.”