Steenson set for 'big couple of weeks'
By Mark Stevens
21/12/19
Gareth Steenson says he and his Exeter Chiefs team-mates are gearing up for a ‘big couple of weeks’ in the Gallagher Premiership, starting with today’s trip to rivals Leicester Tigers.
After a busy period of action in the Heineken Champions Cup, it’s domestic matters which take centre stage for the Devonians over these next few weeks.
Unbeaten in Europe and sitting top of Pool Two on 19 out of a possible 20 points, the Chiefs must now switch their attentions back to English rugby’s top-flight, where the division’s most decorated club side lie in wait.
In what has been a disappointing start for the Tigers to date, they sit 11th in the standings after five rounds, they would love nothing better than to deliver an early Christmas present to their supporters by sinking Rob Baxter’s in-form side at Welford Road this afternoon (3pm).
On their own patch, the Tigers are a formidable force and Chiefs fly-half Steenson knows a fierce test lies in wait for the visitors come kick-off.
“It’s a huge game for us,” said Steenson. “We’ve gone well in Europe over the last few weeks, but now it’s back to the Premiership, where we’ve got a big couple of weeks ahead of us.
“It starts with Leicester this weekend. We know it’s never an easy place to go, but it’s an exciting challenge for the boys. You only have to look across their squad to see it’s a team full of internationals, so they’ll be a tough nut to crack.
“That said, we’re in a good place ourselves and there is a real buzz amongst the boys. Right across the squad, the boys are getting games, there is genuine competition for places, and it’s just driving the standards up and making us all push to get better.”
Certainly the Chiefs will arrive in the East Midlands brimming with confidence, having picked up five successive victories, which included a 38-3 home win over Wasps in the Premiership.
That winning sequence has blossomed after the Chiefs squandered a healthy lead at home to Bristol, allowing the Bears to sneak victory at Sandy Park with the very last play of the game.
The response to that defeat has – as people will have seen – been notable and Steenson is not surprised.
“I think Rob said after the Bristol game that it was like we were all waiting for Europe to start,” added the Irishman. “Maybe we were, but I think getting the whole squad back together, especially the boys from the World Cup, has meant we’ve been able to crack on with things.
“We’ve had a good few weeks and it almost feels like Europe was a starting block for us. Obviously, there is still a long, long way to go within the season – and it does feel a bit weird that here we are, just a few days out from Christmas, yet we’ve only played five games in the Premiership.
“Right now it’s hard to gauge quite where everyone is, but I think come the New Year, you’ll start to see the Premiership really start to ramp up. As I said, we’re in a good place across the board, but if we can get a few results over this Christmas period, then it’s going to put us in a great place before we go back into the Heineken Champions Cup again.”
Following today’s fixture against the Tigers, the Chiefs will then play host to defending champions Saracens in the first meeting since last season’s Premiership Final at Twickenham, which the Londoners narrowly won 37-34.
Since then, Saracens have been found guilty of breaching the Premiership’s salary cap regulations and have been fined £5.3m, as well as having 35 points deducted from their tally this season.