Steenson keen to kick on
Exeter Chiefs flyhalf Gareth Steenson insists he and his teammates are gearing up for what he believes will be an “exciting” conclusion to the season for the Devon club.
Currently on a two-week break from competitive action, the Chiefs will resume Premiership action later this month when they travel to Gloucester on Saturday, March 24.
It’s the first of five top flight fixtures remaining for Rob Baxter’s side, who also have a mouth-watering Amlin Challenge Cup quarterfinal encounter against Stade Francais in Paris to contend with.
With the Chiefs currently positioned fifth in the Premiership standings, hopes are high that Exeter can continue their fine form as the season heads towards a dramatic climax where places in the end of season play-offs and Heineken Cup qualification are up for grabs.
“We’ve got some very exciting times coming up,” said Steenson, who celebrated his 100th league and cup appearance for the club with victory in last weekend’s 37-12 success over Sale Sharks.
“We’ve had a good run of results in this latest block of games, but I think the guys need a bit of a break.
“I’m sure they’ll go away and recharge themselves and then we’ll come back next week and get ourselves ready for what should be a very exciting end to the season.”
In only their second-ever season in English rugby’s top tier, the Chiefs have continued to flourish under the guidance of Baxter, who last term saw the club to a creditable eighth spot.
Steenson continued: “At the start of the season if someone had told us we would be where we are now I think we would have bitten their hands off. That said, we still feel there is a lot more to give, especially over this last block. As always we’ll just take each game as it comes and it starts with Gloucester in a couple of weeks’ time.”
With the Cherry & Whites breathing heavily down the necks of the Chiefs in the table, the match-up at Kingsholm promises to be an intriguing affair. Exeter, however, can go into the game brimming with confidence having collected league wins over Leicester Tigers, London Wasps and Sale Sharks in the past month.
The Sharks win in particular was particularly satisfying for all and sundry at Sandy Park as it was only the second time the club had ever collected a try bonus point in the Premiership. And according to Irishman Steenson it has set a benchmark the Chiefs must strive to hit in their remaining few games.
“It was massive to bounce back at the first attempt,” said Steenson. “We were all pretty disappointed with the Bath result because we felt we didn’t attack the game in the way we wanted too. I think it was the exact opposite against Sale, we went out and attacked straight from the first whistle and got off to a fantastic start and finished strongly as well.
“Now I think we have got to look to attack every game and enjoy what we are doing. Hopefully with the weather getting a wee bit better, the backs can continue to show what they are all about. We’ve seen glimpses [against Sale] so hopefully we’ll get even better.”
Exeter’s try-fest against the Sharks was not only hugely encouraging, but also answered some of the critics who believed Baxter’s side were only capable of dogging out victories with the occasional try and the boot of Messrs Mieres and Steenson.
“We knew we had guys in the backs capable of doing that and also that we had that kind of performance in us,” added Steenson. “It was good running rugby from us, but Sale played their part as well. They came here looking to play a fast and furious game and for a period there they did bring it to us. That said, the boys finished very strongly at the end.
“For us, we’re still growing and we’re still new to a lot of things when it comes to the Premiership. Obviously we are in a different position to where we were at this stage last season, but we want to be better all the time. As I said, we’re learning all the time and the aim now is just to go out and attack the remainder of the season as best we can.”
