Arnott sees plenty of positives

It was a case of so close but yet still so far for Jack Arnott as Exeter Chiefs failed to progress to the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby 7s Series Final.

On the face of things the run out at Kingsholm didn’t go well at all with Exeter leaving with a just a point to their name after suffering defeat in all three of their games against Gloucester Rugby, Bath Rugby and Worcester Warriors.

However, that only tells half the story as the Chiefs were narrowly beaten 20-17 by Bath after going down 26-17 to Worcester – who won all three of their games to progress to the Rec for the Series Final on Friday August 9.

Even despite these losses Exeter faced hosts Gloucester in a winner-takes-all clash to end the night with a spot in Bath still up for grabs.

But despite Sam Blanchet, Stuart Townsend and Ben Vellacott going over they were unable to squeeze through as they lost 28-19.

And while insisting the Chiefs were far from embarrassed, 19-year-old Arnott admitted it was a frustrating way to start their season.

“Obviously it was a tough night at the office and it is frustrating I think more than anything,” he said. “We played the rugby we wanted to, it was just too late for us. The first two games to lose by a couple of points, it’s hard for the lads.

“But it’s good for us in a way – we know what we need to take from this. We know how we can play, so the boys can take a lot of massive positives from tonight.

“We came to challenge and I think we came close to that – especially in the first two games. That last game got a little bit away form us in the first half and I think that was the problem. “We came with the aim of competing and looking to push through. Unfortunately that hasn’t happened, but the boys can take a lot from it and it’s a good gauge of where we are as a team.”

For tickets to the J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby Series Final at 7pm on Friday, 9 August at The Rec, Bath visit: bathrugby.com/tickets