Parling: It’s not a day out, we mean business
THIS is not a sightseeing trip, a day for taking in grand, unfamiliar surroundings. Exeter are not just glad to have made it this far — they are at Twickenham for ‘business’.
When the Devon club come to the national stadium this afternoon, they are chasing the title, not just an occasion to remember. Their first appearance in the Aviva Premiership final is not enough to satisfy soaring ambitions. The Chiefs want to finish the job. They want the prize.
Outside the county, there may be a perception that these challengers for the top domestic honour in English rugby will approach this momentous occasion in carefree mood; as underdogs, bereft of pressure. Not a bit of it. That is to underestimate their conviction. Exeter are not treating this as a free hit, in territory they have never reached before. They believe they can take the last, giant step.
Enjoying the event comes far below the objective of winning it. The tone has been set by head coach, Rob Baxter, who said this week: ‘We are not going to be a team that just goes there and enjoys walking round in the sun at Twickenham beforehand. That is not what we are going to do. We are going to turn up and if we turn up, we can make it a very interesting thing.’
European champions Saracens have been duly warned, that the defence of their title — and completion of the Double — will be anything but a formality against these first-timers in the final.
As a team and a club, Exeter may lack know-how when it comes to a showpiece of this magnitude, but they have emphatically earned their right to be in it, by finishing second in the league and then dispatching Wasps in last week’s enthralling semi-final at Sandy Park.
What’s more, they do have relevant experience in the ranks. Lock Geoff Parling is aiming for a third title triumph, after being part of two during his time with Leicester. The decorated Lion echoed Baxter’s sentiments, adding: ‘We’re absolutely not going in with the mind-set that this is a new experience for the club.
‘This is certainly not just another game, but we’re not going to arrive early at Twickenham so we can soak in the atmosphere. We’re going there for business.
‘We’re there to win. We’re going there with the mindset that we want to be champions. We’re in this final because we deserve to be in this final, now let’s go and win it.’ At Sandy Park this week, there was a distinct absence of tension and foreboding. Exeter are heading into the unknown with belief in what they do. Their unity is a powerful force.
While the emergence of exciting rookies such as Henry Slade, Jack Nowell, Dave Ewers and Sam Hill has added class to the mix, Baxter has long fostered a band-of-brothers spirit among his players, many of whom have been largely unheralded. He has also emphasised that they should be brave on the field and trust their instincts.
Parling is optimistic that stagefright will not be a factor, saying: ‘The reason I don’t think the lads will go into their shells is because the coaches here always say, “Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Put your game out there”.
‘To have that message constantly reinforced means that, if you are a young lad coming through, that is probably going to put you at ease, if you do make a mistake in the game.’
Yet they will have to be nigh-on perfect if Saracens match the standards they reached in thrashing Leicester last weekend, to claim a final place for the third successive year. ‘They are an outstanding team who do the basics really well, which is the basis of their game,’ said Parling. ‘They have a strong set- piece and defence, and they work hard for each other. You’ve got to stop their momentum and you can’t make mistakes, because they are very good at pouncing on mistakes.’
The veteran second row also paid special tribute to today’s opponent and England’s new sensation, Saracens lock Maro Itoje, adding: ‘He is outstanding and he’s getting better and better. To go with his talent, everything I’ve seen and heard of him is that he’s a really hard worker and a down-to-earth bloke as well. He’s going to be a star on the international stage for a long, long time.’
Today, Itoje can be a star on the biggest domestic stage, just as he was on the European stage a fortnight ago, when Saracens won the Champions Cup in Lyons and he was named man of the match — yet again.
He and his partner for club and country, George Kruis, typify the relentlessly driven, intense class that the London club have at their disposal, along with other England Grand Slammers such as Billy Vunipola and Owen Farrell — who starts today after passing a fitness test.
The holders will be favourites today, but Exeter mean business — they won’t just enjoy the ride and accept their first-timers’ fate.