'We need to up our levels' - O'Flaherty
By Mike Smith
23/10/19
Exeter winger Tom O'Flaherty says that he and his Chiefs team-mates will need to 'step it up another level' ahead of Friday's Gallagher Premiership clash against Bath at The Rec (7:45pm).
Although victorious in their seasonal opener, defeating visiting Harlequins 22-19 at Sandy Park, the 25-year-old insists there has been plenty for Rob Baxter's side to work on this week - particularly as they will be up against a Bath outfit, still licking their wounds following a hefty 43-16 loss to Westcountry rivals Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate.
O'Flaherty knows from past experience that Bath are notoriously tough opponents to break down - particularly on home turf - and says the Chiefs will need to be ready to meet any potential backlash from Stuart Hooper's side.
"They will have their backs against the wall and they will come out firing," said the Chiefs flyer. "It'll be a good test for us, so we will have to up the levels again. Hopefully, we can just tighten up those areas where we were a bit lax last week."
In what was a testing first assignment of the new league season, it was far from plain sailing for the Chiefs who, despite bossing possession and territory for long periods against the Londoners, struggled to make it count on the scoreboard.
Lock Jonny Hill claimed the home side's only try of the game in the first half, while a faultless kicking display from fly-half Joe Simmonds saw him bag 17 points, thus ensuring a priceless four points for the Devonians, who will face Harlequins again later in the season at Sandy Park after both clubs qualified for the last four of the Premiership Rugby Cup.
That competition had provided the Chiefs with a decent four-week introduction into the new Premiership campaign, but O'Flaherty insisted last weekend's encounter showed the step up in intensity that league battle brings.
"It was a noticeable step up, especially in terms of physicality and pace," he added. "You could definitely feel that, Harlequins just didn't want to go away."
At several stages of the clash, the Chiefs had Quins pinned within their own 22, but an impressive defensive display from the visitors led to a number of uncharacteristic mistakes being made from the home-side, letting their rivals off the hook on more than one occasion.
"Fair play to Harlequins, they were very stubborn and defended really well," said O'Flaherty, "We'll take the win, but we just need to be a bit more clinical when it comes to those areas."
Last Saturday's match marked only a second start of the season for O'Flaherty, who along with many of Exeter's other front-line stars had been afforded slightly longer to recuperate from last season's exertions, where the Chiefs narrowly missed out on Premiership glory for a second time in the end of season showpiece against Saracens at Twickenham.
Now, up and running once more, O'Flaherty is hoping to use last weekend's success as the foundations for what the Chiefs hope will be another successful season in English rugby's top flight.
"The win is a good building block, but now we need to push on and perform for that full 80 minutes," he said, "We need to capitalise on the good bits of pressure that we had throughout that game, then tidy up one or two other areas. If we can do that, then we give ourselves a good chance of getting something out of the game."
The Chiefs will head into Friday's game knowing they have beaten Bath in their last eight games in all competitions, the most recent of which came in their Premiership Rugby Cup opener last month, when they won 28-14 at Sandy Park.