Chiefs Women to face Sale Sharks
By Harry Scott-Munro
16/4/21
It may have been three weeks since their last match, but Susie Appleby’s Exeter Chiefs Women’s side will be looking to maintain their strong form as they take on Sale Sharks in their penultimate match of the Allianz Premier 15s season. (1pm)
Still in the hunt for a potential play-off place, the Chiefs saw off fourth-placed Loughborough Lightning 17-12 last time out. It has though, been a long time since the Devonians were able to get out on the field, with Appleby raring to get back into action.
“It seems like a million years ago,” muses Appleby. “It's a funny old time being three weeks until now and then three weeks until the final game. We've spent a lot of time looking at our performance, what we can do better, what we can do well.”
With Six Nations Championship matches still going on, Appleby is expecting a weekend of “topsy-turvy” results, but doesn’t expect there to be too much of an impact on the list of available players for her side or Sale, insisting that focus remains on her own side and the match in hand.
“We're just focused on ourselves. Interestingly enough, us and Sale probably don't lose many. They've got the Welsh back, as have we along with Merryn and Flo, so it's a clean slate,” Appleby acknowledges.
She is though, expecting a strong Sale performance as they look to give a stronger account of themselves than they did at Sandy Park in December.
“They came down to us and underperformed in my opinion, so we might feel the wrath of that. You'd expect them to want to perform really well for their last home game of the season. It's 0-0 at the start and whoever takes it by the scruff of the neck will come out as the winner on the day.”
Whilst Appleby admits that the play-offs may be out of her side’s reach, she has still been thrilled with the performances of her side in their debut campaign, with the strength of their defence, particularly against the top four sides, something that she wants her side to build on ahead of next season.
“I'm really pleased,” added Appleby. “Loughborough was the final one of the top four that we knocked off and it was quite a convincing victory and I know they'd say the same. That's really pleasing and again our defence really stepped up and imposed itself on a good side. We stopped them playing, which was brilliant. Defensively, that aspect was really good.”
Appleby was also at pains to praise the positive attitude within her squad, commenting on how her side have continued to play with “smiles on their faces” and become a collective unit.
“They're not just team-mates, they're friends now. They may be from opposite sides of the world or from Devon, but it doesn't matter where, because they make each other feel really comfortable and they help and support each other,” said a complimentary Appleby.
“We're hoping that will push us forward into what's coming next, which is the last couple of games of the regular season, still with an outside shot of the playoffs, albeit unlikely. Then most importantly, we go into preseason which is going to be massive for us.”
Appleby’s side remains a settled one, however there are still several changes to the match-day 23 from last time out against Loughborough. Rachel Johnson’s season-ending injury sees Kate Zackary revert back to her more familiar position of openside flanker, with Merryn Doidge shifting infield to centre and Niamh Terry coming back into the starting XV at full-back.
There are also two significant names on the bench, with young prop Abby Middlebrook in-line for her first appearance for the side and a welcome return to match fitness for Welsh scrum-half Ffion Lewis, who has recovered from an injury that has ruled her out of action since Round 7.
Middlebrook has been training with England Under-20s in the last few weeks, alongside fellow young gun Georgie Grimes, something that Appleby sees as “really good” for both players, but also for her own side.
The last few weeks have seen both Meg Davies and Niamh Terry represent Wales in the Six Nations, with Appleby delighted with the opportunities her players have been receiving on the international stage.
“It's awesome. Meg Davies getting her first cap at 19, she came from nowhere really, but that's really pleasing. Niamh has transferred positions and yet she was on the field in her new position, playing for her country, so I'm really pleased. Wales are happy with how they've progressed here which is great,” she explains.
On top of this, Doidge and Robinson have been training with England and Appleby has been thrilled with how playing for the Chiefs has given so many of her players an opportunity to further themselves on the international stage.
“Merryn and Flo have done some more good work with the England squad, so it's all looking really positive,” she continued. “What we're here for is to obviously look out for ourselves and do the best we can as a club, but we're here to develop players and we clearly are.”
Despite all of the recent success of players competing at international level, Appleby maintains that her side need to keep the focus firmly “back on themselves” as they look to finish the season in a positive manner.
“If you lose sight of yourself, you can come unstuck. So, it's about us with respect to what is going on the opposite side of the field.”
EXETER CHIEFS WOMEN SIDE TO FACE SALE SHARKS WOMEN
15 Niamh Terry
14 Laura Sheehan
13 Merryn Doidge
12 Gabby Cantorna
11 Garnet Mackinder
10 Patricia Garcia
9 Flo Robinson
1 Sachiko Kato
2 Emily Tuttosi
3 Laura Delgado
4 Poppy Leitch
5 McKinley Hunt
6 Ebony Jefferies
7 Kate Zackary
8 Linde Van der Velden (capt)
16 Joanna Kitlinski
17 Michaella Roberts
18 Abby Middlebrook
19 Rosanna Moynihan
20 Abbie Fleming
21 Ffion Lewis
22 Olivia Churcher
23 Louise Burgess