Exeter Chiefs dominate in final to set out stall for remainder of season

Exeter Chiefs last weekend won the inaugural Allianz Cup and set out their stall for the remainder of their second season in the Premier 15s. Taking the cup in front of a home crowd marks the club’s first women’s silverware, and has certainly given fans something to cheer about. After covid restrictions last season, it was spectacular to see Sandy Park packed with supporters – Spanish front row Laura Delgado expressed that ‘it was an honour to defend the jersey in front of such a crowd’.

Despite Chiefs ultimate dominance, Harlequins looked to be real competitors in the first half. Chiefs put an early score on the visitors, but a yellow for Dutch lock Linde Van Der Velden (along with a penalty try) left the home side looking vulnerable. With a forward down, Exeter still managed to power over the line to take the lead before some loose passing out wide allowed Lagi Tuima an intercept and 40 metre run in, leaving Chiefs just two points ahead at the break.

The second half was a different story, with the Chiefs shutting out Quins and scoring a massive seven tries to take the final score to 57 – 12 in front of more than 2000 fans, the largest crowd ever to attend a women’s club match in Devon. Chiefs showed themselves to be an impressively physical outfit, with Steve Salvin’s impact as forward coach felt in the maul tries. Van Der Velden notes that Salvin’s coaching has ‘built on the foundations of last year…we have seen a shift toward real detail in the forward pack.’

Abbie Ward on beating New Zealand, moving to Bristol and quick-fire questions | Tunnel Talk | Episode 1

Abbie Ward on beating New Zealand, moving to Bristol and quick-fire questions | Tunnel Talk | Episode 1

When asked what aided the Chiefs dominance, Salvin says ‘it really helped that we kept continuity with the squad. We obviously lost our Irish, Welsh and Scottish players to the Six Nations and our Canadians were away for a period, but the depth of our squad allowed us to put out extremely strong teams. Our form has been on an upward curve and everyone knows their roles, so interchanges are manageable.’

And interchanges there were with Susie Appleby making several amendments to the squad for the final, with four Canadian internationals returning to the bench. McKinley Hunt was the standout addition, with a barnstorming run culminating in some smooth passing to send fellow Canadian Gabby Senft over the line.

Co-captain Kate Zachary comments that the win was ‘not only a huge milestone for the club but a milestone for the players, many of whom experienced their first final…Sandy Park is a special place and the crowd this last week is the largest we have had to date. Having so many fans show up to support truly made an impact on the team, we wanted to win it for those supporters who show up every week’. The back-row forward, nicknamed Captain America by teammates, goes on to say that her favourite moment of the game was the ‘22 metre maul try in the second half. After a tough first half Quins really showed up to play, and the maul was a big momentum swinger’.

The real question is whether the Chiefs’ cup dominance will continue into the final stretch of the Premier 15s campaign. The Devon side’s international makeup means that few players were lost to the Six Nations, with no Chiefs involved in the senior Red Roses spring campaign. Unlike other teams in the competition, the Chiefs cup team sheet could be almost identical to that of the final rounds of the Premier 15s. Whether the dominant cup performances translate into the business end of the season remains to be seen.

After a rare smile at the cup win, Salvin notes that ‘we have two extremely tough league fixtures left against the top two teams, and we hope to be competing in the end of season playoffs. Injuries permitting, we have a full squad to select from which gives us some good headaches…we’re going to carry the momentum from the cup into the rest of the season’.

The Chiefs currently sit in third spot in the Premier 15s table, and a semi-final looks likely. Two home games remain against Saracens and Bristol, who sit in first and second place respectively – if the Chiefs can secure wins in one or both games they have the potential to keep their third place spot and so avoid facing Saracens again at the Stonex in what would be an undoubtedly difficult semi-final. If the Chiefs did win the Premier 15s, they would be the first side ever to win both the league and the Allianz Cup.

When asked about plans going into the last stretch, Zachary notes that it is ‘time for some rest and reset, but we’ll be ensuring we are ready to go come May 7th for our game against Saracens. We’re taking it one game at a time!’