Chiefs TV – Pellow post Braves v Tigers.m4v

Exeter Rugby Video clip Rating: 5 / 5

EXETER CHASE PLAYOFFS

James Scaysbrook of the Aviva Premiership side the Exeter Chiefs knows what it is all about to reach a final at Twickenham and has admitted that the Chiefs would be taking a huge step forward if they managed to pull off a sensational upset by reaching the final in just their second season playing in the top tier of English rugby. The 30 year old mentioned his experience of a playoff spot when he played for Bath Rugby against the London Wasps almost eight years back now but also added that the game has changed much over these interim years and it would do wonders for the progress of the club if they did reach the playoffs for the first time in their history.

The Exeter Chiefs currently lie at fifth on the table, just three points away from a potential spot in the playoff finals and with a match against the Northampton Saints, who are currently occupying the last playoff spot at home is going to be a make or break match for the Chiefs. But Scaysbrook insists that although the match is still three weeks away, they cannot get complacent about their position and admitted that there is still a lot of work to be done.

However, he did say that the thought of a playoff appearance or a place in the final was very appealing to the entire team, most of which have not played a match in the playoffs in the top division and if they do get there, it would mean an amazing achievement, both for the Exeter Chiefs and the players as well.

But he is also very cautious about the way the team will approach the match against the Saints saying that they have very little scope for mistake at this stage of the season.

Chiefs TV – Gibson post Braves.m4v

Exeter Rugby Video Rating: 5 / five

Chiefs TV – Hayes post Perpignan.m4v

Exeter Rugby Video Rating: five / five

RUN ENDS IN BATH

Exeter’s recent run of three victories in a row came to an inglorious end with a 12-9 defeat to Bath in last week’s game at Sandy Park. It took a last minute penalty from Tom Heathcote to secure victory for Bath but it was the performance that was most worrying for Exeter’s head coach, Rob Baxter.

Exeter have impressed in their second season in the Premiership and seem to be building upon the successes of last season. Their recent three game winning run has seen them beat Newcastle, Leicester and Wasps since they missed out narrowly at home to league leaders, Harlequins, a game many would say the Chiefs could easily have won. This impressive run has seen some impressive performances along the way but this recent form seemingly abandoned Exeter in their defeat to Bath.

Baxter highlights that Exeter “made too many mistakes”, “coughed up too much soft ball” and “gave away too many soft penalties”. Exeter gave away three penalties in quick succession to see themselves fall from a winning position to a 12-9 defeat. These are the sort of things that have been absent for much of the season so far for Exeter and they find themselves sat comfortable in 6^th place in the table and in with a realistic chance of making the playoffs.

The result is not the worrying thing for Exeter. Baxter concedes that “sometimes you lose games and you play well”, he goes on to say that he could accept those defeats. But he is equally clear that this was not a case of a good performance not paying off, Exeter got what they deserved against Bath and they will need to improve on that to push up the table.

Next up for Exeter is a visit from Sale who sit level on points with the Chiefs and with an identical record. Both sides have aspirations to climb up towards a play off place, and at the very least a Heineken Cup place. Exeter will be hoping to cut out the mistakes, if they do they should win, if not Sale are in the sort of form where they will punish anything loose.

Chiefs TV – Hill pre Wasps.m4v

Exeter Rugby Video clip Score: 5 / five