Bath will be hurting says Pellow
By Mike Smith
25/10/19
Ricky Pellow says Exeter Chiefs must be wary of a Bath backlash when the two sides lock horns in the Gallagher Premiership this evening (7:45pm).
Whilst the Chiefs kicked off their new league season with a hard-fought victory at home to Harlequins, Bath were picked off impressively by Bristol Bears, conceding seven tries in a 43-16 loss at Ashton Gate.
And skills coach Pellow, himself a former Bath player, knows that result won't sit pretty with many at The Rec - and that there will be a response of sorts from the Blue, Black & Whites.
"We've had some really good battles against them over the years, both home and away, and it hasn't been us winning every time," said Pellow. "Over the past two or three years we've had some really good games and we know we're in for a hell of a game on Friday.
"They'll know they didn't play brilliantly last week, so that will obviously be in the forefront on their minds, and they will be looking to put in a really strong home performance against one of their local rivals."
Although the Chiefs have won the last eight meetings against Bath in all competitions, Pellow acknowledges that will count for little come kick-off this evening.
"Whenever you pull on a Bath shirt it means a lot, because it's such a close-knit community," added the Cornishman. "It's similar to Exeter with our supporters here, you have to really front up.
"I know they will be hurting from last week, they've gone to Bristol feeling pretty confident that they could have gone there and turn them over, but they've come away with nothing. That said, there were key points in the game where they could have really put pressure on the home side before Bristol ran away with it at the end.
"They will talk about re-adjusting, but we know that every time we face Bath we will have a tough game. They've got a few players coming back into their squad, so whatever the result last week, we know we need to crank it up another notch this week travelling to the Rec."
The Chiefs will make the trip in buoyant mood having one four of their five fixtures so far this season, the most recent of which was last weekend's 22-19 triumph over Harlequins at Sandy Park.
Pellow says the Devonians will be looking to use that success as a springboard for tonight's match, adding: "We just talked about getting back to our basics and enjoying what we do. The guys worked really hard last week, but at times just didn't put the right energy in the right areas.
"We need to speed our game up and get more tempo into our play. thought that our exits and our kicking strategy were spot on, but when we got into the attacking part of the pitch, we just weren't quite clinical enough.
"The main focus this year has been we know how we want to play, and what we want to do, but we just need to increase the speed of the ball and increase physicality around the breakdowns. If we do that, then we can beat any team."
Overcoming rivals, though, is no easy matter and Pellow feels the standard of English rugby's top flight has again stepped up this term.
"Every year it's getting tougher and tougher," he warned. "If you look at other team's defences, it's another year down the line and another year developed, so defensively teams are better on those fronts. Also, teams are strengthening every year, so if you're at the top then you have to fight to stay there as the teams below you will be pushing to get there as well.
"Last week's results are a prime example of that, what with Wasps losing to London Irish, Worcester winning against Leicester and Harlequins pushing us all the way. It's going to be another great season because everyone is going to be fighting for what they want to get out of the season. They know if they are in and around the top six come the second half of the season, then it's going to be a hell of a season for all the Premiership teams."
Tonight's match also sees the first run out in a Chiefs shirt for Scotland and British Lions international Stuart Hogg, who was keen to get straight into the action after Scotland's early departure at the Rugby World Cup.
"You can tell by the calibre of player that he is, as soon as he's come in he's settled straight into the squad, both on and off the field," said Pellow. "You would have thought that he has been here for the whole of pre-season the way that he's picked things up. For me, that's the sign of a great player, not taking long to bed in.
"Already you can see in training that the speed just goes up a notch and that's full credit to him. All of the players around him have worked hard to get him up to speed. Yes, he may be a little nervous going into Friday night with it being his first game, but if he can show the qualities that he has shown in the World Cup and in previous games for Glasgow and Scotland, then we've got one heck of a player here.
"I've no doubt he will really add to all the great work the guys have done over pre-season to secure the Premiership Cup home semi-final and a win on the opening day of the Premiership season."