PRESS NOTES | Alex Austerberry (AP15s Rd15)
Ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Exeter, Director of Rugby Alex Austerberry spoke to the media to preview the fixture.
With the whole squad back together, Austerberry highlighted the successes on and off the field for his squad, including international debuts and significant achievements away from the game.
“It was good to celebrate everybody’s achievements on and off the field coming back together. Hannah Casey has become a member of the London Fire Brigade and Marlie has captained England to a Grand Slam win. We’ve had debuts galore, and it’s been fantastic for everyone in that period. It’s straight into the business end now and we can’t wait for it.
Whilst the league campaign took a pause throughout the Six Nations period, Austerberry has been pleased with how his wider squad have performed. With the whole group now back together, the Director of Rugby stressed the importance of ‘the wider family’ being back alongside each other.
“It might have been a pause in terms of the league, but we had a relatively successful cup campaign and the home fires have been burning whilst the Six Nations has been going on. We came back in for a social activity last Thursday and it feels a bit like Christmas, with the whole family back together. It’s brilliant that everyone is back for what will hopefully be six huge games to end the season.”
Much has been made of Saracens’ start to the season, which has left Austerberry’s side in the unusual position of third in the league. The Director of Rugby though, explained that his side were relishing a new challenge.
“If you look at the last five years, we’ve been top. Yes, this is different but it’s not unexpected. The first five games of the season were very different. Post-world cup, we weren’t all back together until the week of the Exeter away fixture. It’s a different scenario and a different challenge. It’s exciting for us. We’re doing the chasing rather than being chased and that’s a nice position to be in. Being top of the league would be wonderful but having something to go after is a big motivator. Wherever we are in the league, a game against Exeter is one that you always relish.”
Exeter sit at the top of the league with just one defeat all season. Both sides met in last year’s final and Austerberry highlighted the significance of the fixture tomorrow.
“It's not quite a knockout game this weekend, but it’s got the magnitude of one. We’ve got the experience within this group, so hopefully that will see us through this weekend and in the games to come.”
Exeter have come a long way since joining the league, with the rivalry between the two sides quickly becoming one of the main features of the Premier15s. Austerberry praised the job that the Exeter coaching staff had done and explained that matches of this magnitude will bring out the best in his playing group.
“They have a lot of players from across the globe. Susie has done a good job knitting them all together down there. They are a talented squad, so it’s not like they’ve come from nowhere. It’s great to have that competition. Rivalries like this are brilliant. They get the fans going, they get the press excited and ultimately, it gets the players going. You want to be battling it out on the biggest stages. Games like this bring out the best in the group.”
