Mumm: We can't let standards slip

Dean Mumm believes Exeter Chiefs can ill afford to let their standards slip when they tackle winless London Welsh in the Aviva Premiership this Saturday (3pm).

The Devon club moved back into the division’s top three last Saturday following their first-ever top flight win over local rivals Bath, but this weekend will come face to face against an Exiles side who have lost all 16 Premiership games to date.

Henry Slade’s 11-point haul with the boot, plus Will Chudley’s late try, ensured the Chiefs of a 16-6 victory against a Bath side, who in turn countered with two penalties from full-back Tom Homer.

It was a notable scalp for the Chiefs and their Aussie talisman is keen they maintain their winning formula against a Welsh side they defeated 52-0 in their seasonal opener back in September.

“We are very much alive in three competitions and there is a good feeling in camp, but the reality is that come this weekend there will be another game and another opportunity to go after it,” said Mumm.

“They have nothing to lose and everything to gain, but it is an opportunity for us to take on a side down here in a game where we know we need a good solid performance.

“We have had periods in the past where we have had a good win and come out of it a bit dusty and a bit slow, so there is a certain reality that we need to scrub this game (against Bath) clear and go forward.

“We lost four on the trot around the Christmas period, but we have bounced well out of that and that is probably the difference from previous years.”

Now into his third season at Sandy Park, Mumm continues to be a focal point for the Chiefs and his man-of-the-match display against Bath further underlined just how much he brings to Rob Baxter’s squad.

Like the club itself, the experienced second-row has grown in confidence in recent years and he believes the Chiefs can push on further this season, starting with a big display against the struggling Exiles.

“We have to set our sights high,” he explained. “The weekend result was very pleasing, even though it wasn’t all that easy. There were certainly elements where we know we need to improve - set-piece being one of them - but the key factor was we just wanted to win against a team who we hadn’t beat before in the Premiership.

“We did that, we got four points, and we jumped them in the table. There were times where it was tough, but just after half time got a bit of momentum and we started to build. They came back at us and had ten minutes there in the second half, but we kept them out and that was probably the defining point of the game.

“We put a lot into that defence from the scrum penalty and we then started to go at them hard. The momentum started to change and that’s when I felt we could really get after the game.”

Indeed, the Chiefs soaked up the Bath pressure sufficiently before a third Slade penalty and Chudley’s late converted score pulled them over the finishing line much to the delight of the Exeter fan base.

“It was a big result for all of us,” added Mumm. “It’s always nice when you run out and the terraces are full to the rafters. We knew how much that game - and that result - means to everyone, so it was nice to give the fans something to shout about come the end.”