Yeandle wants response from Chiefs

Exeter skipper Jack Yeandle says there must be a response of sorts from the Chiefs this weekend when they play host to Newcastle Falcons in the Aviva Premiership.

Rob Baxter’s side slipped to their fifth league defeat of the season on Sunday when they went down 31-27 against fellow play-off contenders Leicester Tigers at Welford Road.

The visitors fought back from a 31-6 deficit to grab a losing bonus point with the last play of the game, but Yeandle was far from what had occurred earlier in the match, particularly during the first half.

“Welford Road is always a difficult place to come to,” he said. “To come away with a losing bonus point is good, but realistically amongst the squad we are really disappointed with today.

“We feel we have really missed a shot to have a go, especially as our first half performance really let us down. Before the game we put a big emphasis on our defence and we also talked a lot about attack, but we never really clicked into gear on that front.

“It was not until they got their bonus point try that we really started to be what I call Exeter Chiefs and throw the ball around and attack the game.

“For sure it was a missed opportunity for us as we let 40 minutes of the game go by without really attacking the game.”

The 26-year-old hooker knows the Chiefs cannot produce a similar display against the Falcons, who themselves are fighting for their top flight existence alongside London Irish and Worcester Warriors at the other end of the table.

“There are only a limited amount of games left and we are where we are,” said Yeandle. “We have to attack every game from minute one, starting against Newcastle this weekend. That 40 minutes at Leicester wasn’t what we expect from ourselves and it’s something we will regret.

“Yes, we’ve come away with a losing bonus point in the end, but the general feeling amongst us all is that it could have been more.”
Like the Chiefs, the Falcons will make the long trek to the Westcountry looking to bounce back themselves after they were beaten on home soil by Worcester last time out.

Yeandle knows from past experience that the North East outfit are a tough nut to crack and has urged his team-mates to fire from the outset on Saturday.

“We showed in the second half on Sunday that we can cause sides real problems when we attack,” he continued. “Hopefully this weekend we get things into gear early on and do it from minute one this time.

“Newcastle, though, will be tough. You know what is coming from them and they’ve been picking up points recently, turning a few teams over at the same time. We’re at home, though, so hopefully we can make home advantage count and we get back to winning ways as quickly as possible.”