Chiefs' Shoemark urges improvement for Saracens clash

Photo: M+MD (via Flickr)

Jason Shoemark has warned Exeter Chiefs can ill afford to make the same mistakes as they made at Bath on Sunday when Aviva Premiership leaders Saracens arrive in Devon this weekend (3pm).

The Chiefs saw their recent winning streak come to an abrupt halt as Westcountry rivals Bath secured a 37-15 victory in the club’s second LV= Cup fixture of the season.

It was a disappointing outcome for the visitors, who were always up against it after leaking two converted tries inside the opening four minutes at the Recreation Ground.

Although the Chiefs were much improved as the game went on – claiming tries through James Phillips and Greg Bateman – the earlier damage had proved too much and the Kiwi centre says any kind of repeat performance this Saturday will result in trouble.

“Saracens are going to bring a lot of intensity with their defence, and our attack has got to be right on the money,” said Shoemark. “Some of the decisions we made on the pitch were wrong, and if we do that against Saracens, we will be put under the pump again.

“I’m sure the training week will be pretty positive. We have got a bunch of boys who haven’t played for a couple of weeks, the enthusiasm will be massive, and it will be a huge game.”

Certainly the importance of the fixture has been drummed home to the Exeter squad this week by head coach Rob Baxter, who will be keen to ensure his side remain amongst the division’s top four sides.

Reflecting on the latest loss at Bath, Shoemark – who was skipper for the day – added: “We came up here all keen for the win, so to start like we did was very disappointing. We were always chasing the game from that point.

“Every year we seem to give Bath a head start. The guys are gutted, but we have got to move on, learn from our mistakes, and we have got two massive Premiership games coming up, so we have got to keep pushing forward.”

And it was not just the bad opening that cost Exeter dear, as they made some uncharacteristic errors during other parts of the game.

“There were a combination of things that did for us today,” said Shoemark. “I don’t think we got off the bus in that first five minutes and they scored 14 points, and that hurts, but then again, we can come back from that,” continued Shoemark. “There were also some little errors, like when we probably should have kicked, we didn’t, and when we should have passed, we kicked. Those are little mistakes that we haven’t been making for the past month or so, but they crept into our game today.”

Despite Sunday’s disappointing outcome, Baxter will no doubt have some tough selection decisions to make in certain positions, with several players having come through the past two weeks after being out injured with some credability.

“The depth in our squad is massive, and the back line we rolled out today is probably as good as any back line we can put out, though the guys sat back at home are class as well,” said Shoemark. “Everyone is fighting for positions, and I am pretty sure Rob will have a tough decision when he picks the team for Saturday.”

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Chiefs' Bateman looks ahead to Bath clash

Bath taking on London Wasps. Photo: Peter J Dean (via Flickr)

Greg Bateman believes the battle for a starting spot in the Exeter Chiefs starting XV is helping to bring the best out in everyone at the Devon club.

Fresh from making his competitive debut for Rob Baxter’s side in their 19-4 LV= Cup win at home to holders Harlequins, the 24-year-old forward is now hoping to plot the downfall of rivals Bath in the same competition at the Recreation Ground this Sunday (1pm).

However, that will be no formality as not only will the home side be looking to build on their own cup victory at Sale Sharks a week ago, but at the same time maintain their unbeaten run over the Chiefs who have yet to defeat their nearest and dearest in a first team fixture since their promotion into the top flight.

“Bath are a very good side, ” said Bateman. “We’ve been up against them in the A League so we know what they’re going to come with. They’ve got a good set-piece so we’re going to have to up it again from a forwards perspective, but if we concentrate on ourselves we hopefully shouldn’t go too far wrong.”

Bateman, along with Romana Graham, Don Armand and skipper Ceri Sweeney, were all making their first starts since summer moves to Sandy Park and having bided their time to get some much-needed game time, the quartet are hopeful of featuring against in this latest Westcountry derby.

“There’s such an array of talent in our side, there are a lot of lads who have been missing rugby and we all want to put a case forward and create some selection headaches for Rob, Ricky and Ali,” said Bateman, who joined the Chiefs from London Welsh. “Hopefully we did that on Saturday and put a bit of pressure on the boys in front of us. It makes for a good squad.”

Certainly the Chiefs are brimming with talent and experience across the board, but Bateman says it’s the young talent – including the likes of Henry Slade and Jack Nowell – that has impressed him the most.

“The way these boys get their exposure at this top level with the academy set up is fantastic,” he added. “They’ve really come through very well. There were times on Saturday when Sladey and Nowellsy were carrying us in the game and making the highlights. It’s fantastic to play alongside them.”

Both Slade and Nowell are expected to feature again at The Rec this weekend and hooker Bateman wants the duo, plus all those around them in Exeter colours, to once again step up and make their mark on proceedings, even it again takes time to break down their opponents.

Reflecting on the Quins’ victory, Bateman continued: “We talked at half-time and said they were a very good side. They weren’t going to break early, it was going to take 50, 60, 70 minutes to break them down. We came out with a good tempo in the second half and it proved to win the game for us.

“The defence was amazing. The boys worked really hard for each other and had a really good attitude to get off the line. We were hunting collisions and it was just brilliant.”

And it’s that unity, both on and off the field, which Bateman believes is driving the Chiefs onwards this season.

“It’s good to be part of this club,” he said. “What we’ve done as a group, whether we’re in the first team or the second team, we’re all pushing forward. As one big squad we’re making things happen so everybody’s really pleased and it’s an exciting place to be part of.”

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