Work still to do - Hepher
By Mark Stevens
19/11/17
Exeter head coach Ali Hepher says his side will need to show a marked improvement in their play, despite the Chiefs returning to the top of the Aviva Premiership with a 31-17 victory over Harlequins at Sandy Park.
First half tries from wingers Lachie Turner and Olly Woodburn, plus a brace after the break from lock Jonny Hill, proved the key highlights in a hard fought victory for the defending champions, whose remaining points came courtesy of fly-half Gareth Steenson.
Harlequins - who led 17-14 at the interval - claimed converted tries from James Chisholm and Tim Visser, plus a penalty from Marcus Smith, but it proved scant reward as they headed back to the capital pointless.
Although content with his side’s sixth win in eight league starts, Hepher gave an honest assessment of his side’s showing at the final whistle.
“It was probably a great spectacle for the supporters and those watching on TV, but I can’t saw it wasn’t great watching as a coach,” said Hepher. “We knew it was always going to be a bit rocky after a couple of weeks off. We’ve had some good training sessions in that time, but you can’t beat match minutes.
“At times, we were a little bit disappointed with our overall execution and our performance levels, but at the end of the day we’ve come through with a victory and the five points, which is fantastic. We will take the win tonight, but at the same time we know we need to improve next week for what will be a tough trip to Saracens.”
In a tough encounter, one in which Harlequins refused to lie down, Hepher acknowledged the part the visitors played in Sunday’s showdown.
“We know they are a good side and although they had a few people missing, they’ve still got quality within their squad and we didn’t expect an easy ride,” added the Chiefs coach. “We talked all week about being on top of our game and although sometimes that doesn’t always come through, we did enough in the end to get the result.
“Yes, we’ll look at ourselves a fair bit and assess out performance, after which we will get our heads down and prepare well for next week.”
Having surrendered top spot on Friday when they lost to Gloucester at Kingsholm, Hepher is expecting a response of sorts from Saracens next up.
“They’ll be hurting after the Gloucester result,” he added. “Even with all their international names missing, they have a quality side, full of top class talent. As I said, we have to make sure we knuckle down hard this week and get ourselves ready for what will be a very tough game.”