Rimmer remains positive despite draw

By Howard Lloyd
11/1/17

Prop Carl Rimmer admits that Exeter Chiefs allowed a rare victory away to 14-man Saracens slip through their fingers after their 13-13 draw on Saturday.

In a rematch of last season's Aviva Premiership final, Saracens had Richard Barrington sent off after just 11 minutes, yet still managed to fight back from 10-0 down to salvage a 13-13 draw.

Sarries were arguably fortunate to not go down to 13 men after skipper Brad Barritt escaped sanction at the time for a swinging arm tackle on Geoff Parling, yet they showed excellent determination to fight back and not cede ground in the race for a semi-final spot.

For the Chiefs though, the feeling was one of an opportunity wasted, and Rimmer echoed head coach Rob Baxter's sentiments in saying that it was a game they should have won.

"It doesn't matter who the opposition are, with the aspirations we have as a club and as players, that is one we should have closed out," said the 30-year-old. "A man up and leading at half-time, it was definitely one that slipped away.

"There are longer-term things you can look at, like going to the double champions and taking a draw, but with what we had to play with on the day, it definitely slipped away from us.

"We got into them in the first half and in parts of the second and when we did, it worked exactly how we wanted it to. I think when we look back though, we will see that we slipped into a bit of game management rather than getting on the front foot and going after them.

"It does prove Saracens' strength – that is one way of looking at it," Rimmer continued. "They had the steel about them and the game plan to get them back in the game."

Exeter now face a European Champions Cup double-header, with Ulster visiting Sandy Park on Sunday before a trip to Clermont Auvergne for their final Pool Five game.

They then face Anglo-Welsh Cup games against Wasps and Bristol before returning to league action against Dai Young's men.

And Rimmer says that the Chiefs must keep this result at the forefront of their minds when they do to drive them on in their quest for a top-four finish.

"We are still in the mix – there is a bigger picture to the season and that is how we can look back at this result," he said. "When we come back to the Premiership, we can say we are still right in the hunt to push on for that top four and top two. But the burn from this draw has to be something we hold on to for that period."