Sweeney praises team effort

Debutant Ceri Sweeney may have provided the spearhead to the attacking edge of the Exeter Chiefs on Saturday, but the Welshman was quick to pay tribute to the defensive efforts of his team-mates as they kicked-off their LV= Cup campaign on a high note.

The 33-year-old fly-half slotted 14 points, including the conversion to Sireli Naqelevuki's second half try, as the Chiefs saw off cup holders Harlequins 19-5 at a packed Sandy Park.

Having trailed to an early Paul Sackey try, the Chiefs powerfully hit back to not only record a notable scalp against Conor O'Shea's side, but at the same time deny the visitors any kind of reward from their visit to the Westcountry.

"It was a great performance by the boys," said Sweeney, who was given the honour of skippering the side for the game. "In the last ten minutes, the defensive sets we went through, all the boys got really stuck in and managed to keep Harlequins out from the try-line.

"It was quite pacy out there, both sides have got some pacy backs. I think Quins, with the likes of Charlie Walker, they'd give any defence a scare. They kept coming at us and we went through sets and sets of defence. Especially the bigger lads, the front-row boys, it's tough for them as they've got to keep getting off the floor. It's a testament to their hard work and attitude that we were able to keep them out."

Former Welsh international Sweeney added: "We've worked really hard on our defence this year and the boys are all pushing hard as a squad. I think that's the best thing, it's a great environment and there's not a lot between players. It's going to be interesting for next weekend as the boys are battling for the jerseys."

Head coach Rob Baxter and his coaching staff made 15 changes for the match, with only three chosen players having previously started a first-team game this term. And Sweeney was pleased with how well they gelled as a team, and also the impact youngsters such as Jack Nowell, Henry Slade and Jack Arnott made in the back line.

"We came together really well," said Sweeney, who along with winger Tom James joined the Devon club in the summer from Cardiff Blues. "We train as a squad all the time anyway, so it's just a case of stepping up to the plate.

"I thought all the youngsters shone – Jack [Nowell], Henry [Slade] and Sniffles [Jack Arnott] on the wing, so there was a nice blend of youth and experience."

Next up for the Chiefs is Sunday's trip to Bath, who themselves kicked off their LV= Cup campaign with a 27-20 win at Sale Sharks on Friday night.

Despite the fact that Exeter have not beaten Bath in the Aviva Premiership, Sweeney thinks they should be confident of making it two wins from two. That quest will be helped by the fact that the players who had not featured much this season now have a game under their belts.

"That 80 minutes will go a long way to galvanising us as a team," he said. "There was some really good rugby played on Saturday. Hopefully we can take it on next week, improve and try to get better.

"I think we can go there with confidence with the side we have here. We played some good rugby on Saturday, we defended well and put it together. There are certainly things we need to work on, but we'll do that in the week and hopefully we can put in another good performance against Bath."

Exeter Rugby Club/Pinnacle Photo Agency