Yeandle says 'no excuses' for Bath display
By Mark Stevens
28/10/19
Jack Yeandle knows there will be no hiding place for him and his Exeter Chiefs team-mates when they review Friday night’s defeat to rivals Bath in the Gallagher Premiership.
In what was an ill-disciplined display from Rob Baxter’s side at The Rec, skipper Yeandle says lessons need to be learned in the aftermath of their 13-10 reverse.
A catalogue of soft penalties came back to bite the visiting Devonians, who were looking to build on their opening week success over Harlequins in this Round Two encounter.
With little to choose between the two sides at the turn, it was a second half penalty from Bath fly-half Rhys Priestland, which proved the difference at the end of a hard-fought tussle, played in atrocious conditions in the Roman City.
“The wind came in just before we got down here – and the rain was there throughout,” explained Yeandle. “It meant the pitch was soft and conditions were tricky, but we’re coming into November now and we’ve got to get use to playing in the wet weather.
“We can’t use the conditions as an excuse for tonight, overall we weren’t great and we’re disappointed with how we played.”
Although Baxter looked to address the high penalty count with his players during the break, the Chiefs players failed to heed the words of their leader and it was Bath whose discipline held firm in the worsening conditions.
“We had messages coming on during the breaks in play – and we were talking amongst ourselves about not giving them an ‘in’ into the game,” said Yeandle. “We said we had to keep our discipline and make sure we get our bits bang on, but we didn’t and that is what has cost us dearly.
“You look, we had them on their five metre line, under pressure, but then we give away a soft penalty and it gives them a nice easy exit for them. Others have just given them easy field position, which you can’t afford to do in any game.
“When the conditions are like they are – against a side like Bath – it gives them an easy set-piece start and from there they were able to squeeze us quite well.”
Already, though, Yeandle is looking to the future and this Sunday’s Premiership trip to Worcester Warriors, a venue where the club have already won this season in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
“Yes, we’ll look over the game, but at the same time we also have to put it to bed. We will highlight the issues, a lot of them we’ve already picked up as being clear and obvious, and we’ll make sure we address them. For us to move forward, we have to make sure we do the right things and we’ve got to put in a performance.”
Not that all of Exeter’s efforts at Bath were entirely bad.
Yeandle said the debut display of newcomer Stuart Hogg, as well as a lively first start of the season for Alex Cuthbert, were two positives to draw upon, as was the losing bonus point they were able to take home.
“You could say it was a par performance because we got a bonus point, but we want more than that,” said Yeandle. “Hoggy had some strong carries and you could see what he’s going to bring to the team, plus Cuthy nearly had an unbelievable try, so it was brilliant to see them in action and showing what they can do.
“As a team, though, we want boys who are coming back into the side to be part of a winning formula and tonight we weren’t at our best by any stretch of the imagination.”