Susie Appleby - Match Reaction
By Harry Scott-Munro
19/9/21
Exeter Chiefs Women’s Head Coach Susie Appleby was full of praise for her side, as they delivered a performance to make the rest of the league stand up and take notice, dispatching reigning Allianz Premier 15s champions Harlequins 24-14 at the Twickenham Stoop.
Tries from McKinley Hunt, Linde van der Velden, Laura Sheehan and Rachel Johnson, two of which were converted by Flo Robinson, helped the Chiefs to a bonus-point victory with Quins only able to muster tries from Fi Fletcher and Amelia Harper in response.
Speaking straight after the match, Appleby was delighted with the result, although understandably wanting to keep her side’s feet firmly on the ground.
“To come to Quins and get a win, let alone a bonus-point win, was really pleasing,” she said. “We knew that Quins would score today. They never go through a game without scoring. But to respond by getting the ball in hand and going at them again, that’s the sign of a good side. We won’t get carried away here. But we’ve taken another good step on our journey.”
It was a performance built upon another dominant display by the pack with young half-back pairing Brooke Bradley and Flo Robinson marshalling proceedings superbly, much to the delight of their leader.
“Flo and Brooke controlled the play really well in a combination we haven’t seen before,” she added. “We wanted to give Flo a run [at 10] as I see her as being able to play in both shirts. Brooke is also a young player, both of them have been or are in the England U20s set-up, but I see both of them with huge futures.
“They’re both local as well. Flo is at University in Exeter and Brooke has returned home to Exmouth where she is from, which is very good news for us and huge for them.”
It was the forward thinking of the half-back pairing that lit up the Stoop with Bradley’s kicking and Robinson’s special awareness playing a huge part in the tries for Sheehan and Johnson. Both Sheehan and fellow winger Jennine Duncan were fizzing with energy throughout the match with Appleby praising the impact their performances have on her side.
“Our wingers function on being pro-active. Laura and Jennine both want to be on the ball. They were buzzing around the place today which was great. We’ve now got a lot of competition for places in that back three which is really healthy. The energy that Laura displays as well just spreads around the team which is fantastic.”
The match also saw Chiefs secure an all-important try bonus-point, which Appleby acknowledged could be “massively important” come the end of the season.
After a slow start against Bristol Bears, the Chiefs have raced through the gears against Sale Sharks and Harlequins with Appleby pleased to see a renewed desire in her side’s game.
She continued: “We had a slow start at Bristol which was disappointing. We were off our game in many respects, but we didn’t show the desire to really play. We’ve done that in the last two weeks with our energy and our attitude with what we’ve done in defence and attack.”
Appleby will be well aware though of the importance of carrying this momentum forward, with another huge test against Wasps to follow in a fortnight’s time.
“We’re on a journey now that so many people are getting on board with and playing big parts in. There’s a lot of learning going on.”