Parling ready for champion test

By Nigel Walrond
11/9/2016

England lock Geoff Parling says anything other than a win for Exeter Chiefs against reigning Premiership and European champions Saracens at Sandy Park today (3pm) would “not be good enough”.

It shows the high standards the Chiefs are setting, and demonstrates their disappointment after losing their opening fixture of the new campaign 25-20 at much-fancied Wasps at the Ricoh Arena last Sunday.

“It is a big game, and it would be a big game regardless of who we are playing, because it is our first Premiership game this season at Sandy Park, but it is given added bearing because we are playing one of the top teams in Europe,” he said.

“The lads are really looking forward to it, we have trained well this week, and we just can’t wait to get out there and hopefully put everything into this game.

“Saracens are a great team. We know that, they have been building that over a number of years, but at our home ground we are a very good team, we would expect ourselves to put on a good performance and win, and nothing else is good enough.”

Looking back to the defeat at Wasps, when the Chiefs let slip a 20-8 lead early in the second half, Parling said: ‘We were disappointed to say the least with the result.

“It was a game we should have won, fair play to Wasps, they picked up the intensity in that last 20 minutes and we let the momentum of the game get away from us, and made a few errors, and allowed them really to win the match.

“It was very frustrating, but we have tried to put things right in training this week, and we will go into the match this weekend wanting to leave everything out on that pitch and put all the emotion into the game.”

Saracens are the only team to win at Sandy Park in the last 20 months, triumphing 14-11 in early February after the Chiefs had a perfectly good try controversially ruled out by referee Tom Foley.

They also beat Exeter 28-20 in the Premiership final at Twickenham 106 days ago, so the Chiefs would dearly love to gain revenge for that defeat.

“It is nice to play at home, with your home comforts, and we know Saracens are an outstanding team, but we think we are pretty good as well, and when we put everything together and attack with purpose and get in people’s faces in defence, and have got a good set piece as well, then we are a good team,” said Parling.

Asked if it is the most competitive Premiership ever, Parling said: “We will see that at the end of the season. Everyone always says that at the start of every season, but I certainly don’t think we are going to have a London Welsh situation, where a team doesn’t win a single game.

“You look at the quality throughout all of the squads, there are some good players in every team, and the beauty of the Premiership is that, if you are one of the top teams and you are playing one of the teams at the bottom of the league, if you are not right on top of your game, you could be hurt.”