Devoto sets his sights
By Mark Stevens
6/2/18
Exeter's Ollie Devoto is hopeful his injury woes for this season are firmly behind him after he marked his playing return with a brace of tries as the Chiefs saw off Saracens 43-20 in the Anglo-Welsh Cup at Sandy Park.
Featuring for only the fourth time this campaign, the 24-year-old showed little sign of bring ring-rusty, producing an impressive display that helped the Devon club to book a fourth successive semi-final appearance in the competition.
A nerve problem in his shoulder at the start of the season, coupled with a more recent ankle injury, has meant the England international has spent more time on the sidelines than that of the Sandy Park turf.
Now, Devoto says he is looking to make up for lost time, aiming to play his part as the Chiefs not only look to attack the Anglo-Welsh Cup latter stages but, more importantly, attempt to reclaim their Aviva Premiership crown.
"I know I have a lot of work to do, it's been a long time since I played 80 minutes," said Devoto following Saturday's victory. "The boys, though, were fantastic and they put in an excellent performance.
"We saw the Harlequins result the previous night and we knew we still had something to play for [against Saracens]. For a lot of the guys, myself included, not many of us had played a lot recently, but to get the result we did, against a strong Sarries side, was great."
Exeter's victory - which came courtesy of a debut try from replacement hooker Paul Davis late on - ensured the Chiefs topped Pool 2 of this season's competition, thus ensuring they will have home advantage in the last four against Newcastle Falcons on Sunday, March 11 (1pm).
"Ricky [Pellow] has done a great job coaching the team," added Devoto. "Our preparation coming into the game was fantastic and we put into place everything we had worked on in training during the week.
"Newcastle, we know, will be tough opponents. They've been really strong this season, so it should be a quality game. As I said, we're just happy to have won and be in the semi-finals. It's a great opportunity for a lot of players and hopefully we can make the most of it!"
And among those who took the chance to shine at the weekend was newcomer Santiago Cordero, who impressed on his debut on the right wing. The Argentinian international showed his proven quality during the contest and was instrumental in helping set-up Jack Maunder for his first half try.
"He's a special player," was Devoto's assessment. "We'd been watching his highlights reel on You Tube and saw how good he was. He's fast, he scores tries and he's a real dangerous player, so it will be exciting to see what he can do in a Chiefs shirt."