Simmonds targets rapid response

By Mike Smith
12/4/21

The disappointment etched across his face was clear to see at the final whistle, but Joe Simmonds insists Exeter Chiefs can ill afford to wallow in the disappointment of their European exit at the weekend.

From the highs of lifting the Heineken Champions Cup trophy at Ashton Gate back in October, the young playmaker is now quietly soaking up the after effects of his side’s 34-22 loss to Leinster at Sandy Park.

Picked off impressively by the four-time winners in last Saturday’s quarter-final tie, Simmonds and his fellow Chiefs must now look to regroup, starting with the visit of Wasps in the Gallagher Premiership this Saturday.

With their European escapades over until next season, the task at hand now for the Chiefs is that of reclaiming their domestic crown.

Having started brightly against their Irish visitors, storming into a 14-0 lead courtesy of two converted Tom O’Flaherty tries, Rob Baxter’s side were slowly pegged back by the interval, eventually going in 20-14 down after scores from wingers James Lowe and Jordan Larmour, plus two Ross Byrne penalties.

Although the Chiefs again came out firing at the start of the second half, adding a third try through Dave Ewers – his fourth in as many games – it was a slender lead they were unable to hold on to as Leinster sealed their last four spot with a second Larmour try and three more Byrne penalties.

Post-game, skipper Simmonds admitted it had been a tough pill to swallow, given their exertions in a highly-entertaining encounter between two of Europe’s heavyweight clubs.

“We’re hugely disappointed, of course we are,” said Simmonds. “We had the chance to really finish that game off after having a great start. All through the week we said about needing to maintain that performance against such a good Leinster side, but we just let ourselves down a bit in that second-half – and in the 20 minutes before half-time – where we just gave them too many easy points, which proved to be too hard for us the get back in the end.”

Unlike the previous week against French visitors Lyon, where they trailed 14-0 inside eight minutes, it was the Chiefs who exploded out of the traps as O’Flaherty’s brilliance helped conjure up two magical, early scores.

“It was exactly what we wanted,” added Simmonds. “We pride ourselves on starting fast, but to be successful in this competition you have to put in an 80-minute performance and we just didn’t have that today.

“We’ve got to look at it like a lesson learnt. We will be better for this game - and credit to Leinster, they’re a great side. They have been there and done it plenty of times, which shows they’re a great side. Deep down, we know that we’re good enough to handle them, but sadly we just didn’t have that 80-minute performance that we wanted today.”

After the disappointment of the weekend, Simmonds and his team-mates know that they need to bounce back and be ready for two tough weeks of domestic rugby, starting with Wasps this Saturday, then a short trip to league leaders Bristol Bears six days later.

“We have to use it as a driver for the Premiership,” vowed Simmonds, who became the youngest ever player to lift English and European titles in the same season. “We’re out of Europe, but the Premiership is right in our hands. We’re second in the league, so we have to obviously review this game, but move on quickly.

“To make this a successful season, we have to go on and win the Prem. That’s what we want. We have two huge games with Bristol flying high and Wasps, t who we came up against in the final last year. As a group, we’ve got to look forward and get excited for the Premiership.”