Holmes targeting more Cup glory
By Mark Stevens
26/10/18
Greg Holmes insists there is a real hunger amongst the Exeter Chiefs squad to repeat the success of last season when they kick-off their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign at Newcastle Falcons on Sunday (3pm).
In what was another hugely successful campaign for the Devon club, it was back in March when the Chiefs added the Anglo-Welsh Cup to the Sandy Park trophy cabinet with victory over league rivals Bath.
Appearing in their four successive domestic Cup Final, Exeter’s mix of youth and experience again delivered on the big stage as they secured a 28-11 triumph at Kingsholm.
Now, as they prepare to kick-off the defence of their crown this weekend, Aussie prop Holmes - who will lead his side into battle at Kingston Park - says the desire to make it back-to-back victories is burning brightly.
“There’s a real hunger amongst the group to go out and repeat the win,” said Holmes. “We won the competition last season, which was fantastic, and it’s something we pride ourselves on, we want to try and win every competition we play in.”
Up against familiar foes in the Falcons - the sides met four times last season, as well as once already this season - Holmes and the visiting Chiefs know their North East rivals will provide a stiff hurdle to overcome first up.
“We know they are no pushovers,” warned the 35-year-old forward. “We’ve had some epic battles with them over the last few years and I’ve no doubt this will be another.They are in good form, especially coming off two good wins in Europe, so we’re expecting a tough battle up there.
“They’ve got threats all over.The forwards are strong and their set-piece has definitely improved, while their backs are pretty slippery customers.That said, we’ve had a good week preparing for Sunday, we’ve put in a lot of good work, and we’re looking to go ups there and put in a big Chiefs performance.”
Holmes is one of a number of experienced stars the Chiefs will parade in their line-up.He packs down in the front-row alongside fellow internationals Moray Low and Elvis Taione, while behind the Exeter back division is bolstered with the inclusion of Sam Hill, Max Bodilly and the returning Olly Woodburn.
Alongside those names, however, will be a glut of the club’s young talent, all of whom will be looking to make the most of their opportunity to feature for the first team in competitive battle.
Over the years the Chiefs have never been afraid to give youth it’s chance in this very competition and Holmes is excited about what can be produced by the latest intake of players.
“The young talent we have at the club is amazing,” he added. “It’s a lot different to back home, the squads here are a lot bigger, but the talent pool of players - especially young players - is very big and they are all pushing very hard to drive the success of the club forward.
“The way these guys train and the way they play, it’s exciting to be amongst them because they offer so much.We’ve seen how they can all step up when given their chance, so hopefully we can get ourselves off to a winning start at the weekend.”