Budgen's try tribute

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs prop Chris Budgen dedicated his try in his side's Aviva Premiership win over Worcester Warriors to the memory of his premature twin sons who died recently.

The 39-year-old New Zealander claimed Exeter's final score in their 33-9 victory at Sandy Park - a result which ended a three-game losing streak for the Chiefs in both the league and cup.

Introduced as a late replacement, Budgen - aided by a hefty shove from his team-mates - burrowed his way over from close range to claim his second score of the season and ensure the Chiefs maintained their unbeaten record in the Premiership at Sandy Park this season.

Budgen's celebrations, however, were somewhat subdued as the popular front-row ace marked his try by making his own special gesture to the skyline above him.

"That was for the boys," said Budgen afterwards. "I told my wife [Tina] and my son [Dylan] that I would try and do something today. We had the boys’ funerals on Thursday and the one promise I made was that I would try and score for them, so when I got that ball today there was no way I was going to stop."

Budgen's late score helped to put the seal on what was an impressive display from the Devon club, who have now seen off Sale Sharks, Saracens, Harlequins and Worcester on home soil.

"I'm pretty happy I went over at the end, I don't mind coming on for the old five minute burst,” added Budgen. "It was a good result for us, but we're a little disappointed not to get the bonus point.

"After half-time we stopped playing for a bit; we made a few errors and we gave away a few silly penalties. That kind of let them back in for a bit, when really we should have kept the pressure on. The last 10 minutes though we got the pressure back on, we came away with two tries and we got the win, which is the main thing."

As Budgen acknowledged, the Warriors proved dogged opponents. He added: "They are a side who you don't always know what to expect from them. Sometimes they play flowing rugby and chuck the ball around or sometimes they just tuck it up the jumper, so it makes them hard to play against and hard to crack."

Exeter's win helped take them onto 20 points from eight starts in the Premiership this season, although the next two fixtures will see the Chiefs switch their attentions to that of the LV= Cup against London Welsh and the Ospreys.

Already head coach Rob Baxter has indicated he will look to rotate his first team squad over the next fortnight, but Budgen insists whoever is handed a place in the Chiefs squad will be keen to impress.

"I don't think any of us will be taking the LV lightly," he continued. "We'll go hard out at it because it's another doorway into the Heineken Cup and another chance of silverware. It will be good for the club and we saw last season with the A League success, if doesn't matter what trophy is up for grabs you always want to try and win every game you play."