Pellow praises his Braves
By Mark Stevens
5/9/17
Exeter Braves coach Ricky Pellow was full of praise for his side after they kicked off their Aviva A League campaign with a hard-fought 20-9 victory over Harlequins at The Stoop on Monday evening.
Trailing to three James Lang penalties at the break, the visitors produced a solid second half display to run out victors thanks to tries from Shaun Malton and James Freeman, together with ten points from the boot of young fly-half Joe Simmonds.
It was the ideal start to the new Southern Group for the Braves, who this Saturday welcome Bristol to Sandy Park (5:15pm) in their latest A League encounter, which will follow the Premiership clash between Exeter Chiefs and London Irish.
Reflecting on his side's first outing of the 2017/18 campaign, Pellow said: "Over the years we've always tended to have a tough opening fixture in this competition and this one was no exception. We knew Harlequins would be strong and would come at us, but I thought our guys really stood up to the test and came through strongly, especially in the second half.
"In the first half we were a little bit guilty of trying to over complicate things and we were a little bit ring-rusty at times, but we came in at half-time, we reset ourselves and started going about things in our game that I know we can do very well. Our defence was very strong all game and we weren't afraid to keep knocking Quins back at every opportunity.
"Our set-piece, particularly the line-out, went very well and that in turn gave us a decent platform from which to build. Yes, there were one or two things that we know we need to improve on before the Bristol game, but on the whole I was very pleased with the effort and commitment of the guys, as well as the result we got in the end."
With Chiefs' Director of Rugby Rob Baxter and head coach Ali Hepher among the watching crowd in the capital, there were plenty of encouraging performances from those in Exeter jerseys for them to take in. Summer signings Freeman and Wilhelm van der Sluys both impressed, while the sight of Mitch Lees playing for the first time since May, coupled with a decent showing off the bench from Stu Townsend, were among the many highlights for the visitors.
"We've got a very strong squad again this year," added Pellow. "Not only do we have a lot of young players who are hungry to play and show what they can do at this level, but there were a number of senior guys out there as well who really stepped up and would have put their hand up for selection for the first team at the weekend.
"I thought James Freeman put in a solid 80 minute shift and was a real big hitter for us; Wilhelm in his first A League game showed a lot of energy in the back-row; while Tom Hendrickson was a real handful all night out in the backs."
Although it's a quick turnaround between Monday's clash and this weekend's impending visit of Bristol, Pellow says he and his squad are more than ready to take on the latest challenge.
"Yes, it's a bit different to normal with a quicker turnaround, but I think the guys like that," said Pellow. "Having games coming thick and fast and playing after a big Premiership game, I think Saturday will be another great occasion for everyone at the club. Not only will it be a great spectacle for all the fans that come along, getting the chance to see two games of rugby, but for the players themselves it's a big opportunity for them to lay down a marker for the season.
"Obviously we started very well with the performance on Monday night at Harlequins, but now we have to carry it on again at the weekend."
Supporters who have tickets for Saturday's Premiership clash against London Irish will be able to watch both games, but for any supporters - who is not a Season Ticket Holder, 1905 Club or Gold Card Member - admission for the Bristol game will be £10 for adults and £5 for Under-16s.
To see a list of all the A League Fixtures for the Exeter Braves this season, simply click here