u/T0mmyKentish

Exeter Chiefs 32 Saracens 12

Well, there goes that dream.

While it’s tough to take we didn’t lose it on this game, plenty of opportunities this season that we didn’t take and having to win at Sandy Park is always going to be a long shot. But, after 39 mins I was almost believing. Then the yellow and a try in extra time of the first half and we never really recovered. Truthfully Chiefs never looked like they would lose from that point, it seemed our self belief wasn’t there anymore. I think I heard Earl say before the match that we had to get the breakdown right and I don’t think we ever really disrupted them there.

A shame to say goodbye to a number of people in such circumstances, obviously Smally being the main one but let’s remember where we were after the Saints match, it’s been a magnificent run. Next season we have a huge amount we can build on and I think there’s a very high ceiling for this group.

We still have our magnificent women’s team to support into the playoffs though, I would heartily recommend you watch them if you haven’t done so far, they are playing magnificent stuff.

I just want to say thanks to everyone contributing and commenting throughout the season.

I’m going to start off with a shout out to /u/Andre081 who posted (what seems like an age ago) before the Sale match about our chances of making the playoffs. I have to admit, I was sceptical but here we are!

So then- 5 finals won, one last hurdle to the playoffs. Who else other than Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park in an effective quarter final.

Firstly the opposition. IFW on form is probably the hardest back to stop in the prem right now. On the other wing Paul Brown-Bampoe brings physicality or there is Ridl who has had an excellent debut season. Woodburn meanwhile has a new lease of life at 15. Ikitau is probably Hartley’s biggest challenge of this run in after coming up against quite a few England rivals. Slade, Varney and Skinner all have had great seasons. It’s a classic massive Exeter pack featuring two big flankers and a dynamic number 8. We’ll need to get them moving and front up a lot better than we did at the StoneX. Iosefa-Scott has been excellent at tighthead, he takes some stopping ball in hand. I could see Isiekwe and Tizard given an assignment to target him hard and often. Zambonin has been excellent all season, and is a premier lineout forward but when Dweba comes the lineout has been a big weakness.

Exeter have had some curious recent form losing to Gloucester and Harlequins but becoming the only team to beat Tigers away in the league.

I missed the Quins/Chiefs match but the loss to Gloucester perhaps gives us a guide on what to do. Firstly they really went for the Chiefs scrum successfully, which is why I was so worried when we played Glos. Secondly the speed of Williams around the breakdown caused them endless problems until he went off. That’s not just Bracken’s responsibility but for the pack to get him good ball. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, as with any Baxter side, we have to more than meet that physical challenge up front.

From our point of view, I’d probably start Carré to target the scrum and I could see Smally keeping Street on for the duration like he did against Toulouse. Let’s hope the latter has a stormer on his return. Otherwise the same lineup unless Segun is fit again. I think we really missed his physicality coming off his wing but who you would drop to the bench of Elliott and Caluori is anyone’s guess. I think our attack has been somewhat telegraphed in the last couple of matches (blindside winger off a set piece, pull back to Burke arcing around the back) so hopefully the team have got some tricks up their sleeves. It’d be good to see more Max at first receiver for example.

Despite our form I think home territory will count for a lot, the crowd will be a big factor and we’ll need our senior players to really lead from the front. It’s perhaps where we miss guys like Billy and Ashton who used to thrive off that sort of crowd interaction. We undoubtedly go in as underdogs (the BBC/Quins pod have certainly written us off) but with a good shot if we play to our potential. Maybe we can make that underdog tag work for us too.

No matter the result it’s been a brilliant end to the season and the players really have pulled together to give Smally a fitting send off. Wouldn’t it be great to keep the journey going for one more week though…

Saracens 26 Harlequins 12

Sweaty mess, heat stroke, struggling to move properly, tits for hands….but enough about me.

It woz the defence wot won it. Because let’s face it our attack was largely contained as Quins did their usual of remembering how to defend for the second time this year. I do think it’s a concern for next week, our lineout pop to the blindside winger was telegraphed and Jamie/whoever pulling it back to Burke was read. We’ll need more than last week. Full marks for the guys for sticking at it though in this heat, I’m in awe of anyone breaking into a mild trot in this heat. Some excellent scramble defence by Maro, Max, Elliott off the top of my head. I thought Elliott had an excellent first half in particular, showed a really well rounded set of skills which tracks with what Dave Ward at Ampthill apparently said about him.

Possibly the most undeserved bonus point of our season? Am I being harsh? I don’t care either way, I’m absolutely delighted we ground it out in possibly the best ode to Mark we could conjure up!

On to Sandy Park, basically an unofficial quarter final. Whatever happens, proud of the lads for getting us right back in it.