Welch draws positives despite cup defeat

It wasn't quite the outcome he craved on his full debut for the Exeter Chiefs, but summer signing Damian Welch insists there were still plenty of positives to take from last Saturday's Heineken Cup loss to French giants Clermont Auvergne.

Recruited in the summer from Pool 5 rivals Scarlets, the imposing second row forward has had to bide his time to get his first taste of senior action with his new club.  However, the 30-year-old's patience duly paid off when he was used as a second half replacement for James Hanks during Exeter's first-ever Heineken Cup fixture at Sandy Park.

"It was good to have a crack at last," said Welch. "Obviously we were disappointed with the end result, but for me personally it was good to get the shirt on and finally get out there."

In a storming first half from Rob Baxter's side, the Chiefs actually went in at the break 12-10 to the good after four penalties from fly-half Gareth Steenson had edged out a converted try from Napolioni Nalaga and a penalty from Morgan Parra for the visitors.

The second half, however, proved a much different affair for the Devon club who were blown away with 36 unanswered points by their star-studded visitors. Nalaga, Wesley Fofana (2), Julien Bonnaire and former All Blacks winger Sitiveni Sivivatu all crossed for further tries as Clermont ensured themselves of maximum points for the second week running.

The end scoreline was certainly emphatic, but the Chiefs - and Welch for that matter - were quick to stress that Exeter's efforts were more significant than it may appear.

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