Pellow pleased with Navy performance

By Mark Stevens
2/3/23

Ricky Pellow praised his young Exeter Chiefs side as they recorded a 43-28 victory over the Royal Navy at Sandy Park.

In what has become an annual fixture on the calendar for both sides, it was the hosts who prevailed thanks to tries from Josh Iosefa-Scott, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Rus Tuima, Facundo Cordero, Zack Wimbush, Jacob Morris and Orson James, who also kicked four conversions.

The game, however, did see the competitive returns of first-team stars Marcus Street, Iestyn Harris and Ollie Devoto following long-term injuries. For Devoto in particular, it was his first outing in over a year having undergone surgery on both of his hips.

The England International had a 40-minute run-out before being withdrawn, while Street and Harris also got decent game minutes into them as part of their return to action.

Alongside them, a number of the club’s promising youngsters were also given their chance to shine and Pellow was delighted with the all-round display put in against the Servicemen.

“In terms of what we wanted to get from the game, I think we hit all the areas this evening,” said Pellow. “It was great to see the three long-term guys coming back from injury and getting some minutes under their belts. Devo, I thought, was outstanding and you could see his experience and his communication coming to the fore throughout.

“Equally, having both Marcus and Iestyn back as well, that really helps thicken out those front-row options as we had to what is going to be a busy end to the season. Having them back, challenging for places and being available for selection, it’s what we want.”

Pellow added: “It was also good to see some of those younger players get their first taste of senior action. Guys like Jeremy Tuima, Barnaby Elderkin, George Edson and Bobby Wigginton, they’ve been part of the Under-18s squad this season and now they are stepping up to this next level.

“We also had a few other senior academy guys like Cory Teague, Joe Bailey, Frankie Nowell and Manny [Feyi-Waboso] who I thought did really well. For a few of them it was their chance to add some leadership to the group and they did that very well. All in all, I thought it was a great night for everyone.”