Clive Stuart-Smith column

Exeter Chiefs scrum-half and BBC Devon columnist

This weekend, we jump back to the league facing Manchester at home. We really struggled to win the game against them earlier in the season so have great respect for them

Exeter is very much a multi-national club.

Among our squad are players from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Samoa, Australia, France, Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany and a few "chosen" ones who claim to have come from space.

If you haven't stumbled upon a Samoan guy and a Welsh guy conversing in a Scottish accent about current house prices in Fiji then you are missing out.

What a difference a week makes. Training was fiery and intense and this all came from not getting the performance the week before and a fear of failing to progress in the cup.

In the changing room beforehand, everyone just simply wanted to get out on the pitch and play.

The first half we played with real enthusiasm, pushing ourselves through the pain barrier and the outcome was that defending us was a hard task.

We prevented Doncaster from getting on the front foot, which made the game easier to manage.

Attacking from our own line showed that we were willing to take calculated risks and also that there was a real belief throughout the team. Half-time this week came at the wrong time.

We made a few unforced errors early on in the second half which allowed Doncaster to creep back into the game.

They took those opportunities well which showed how good a side they were and how they were not going to simply lay down and die.

Regaining our composure, not forcing as much, gradually our pressure told and we managed to sneak in front. Relief at the final whistle was plain to see from everyone involved but we had achieved our objective of winning the game while enjoying ourselves.

This weekend, we jump back to the league facing Manchester at home. We really struggled to win the game against them earlier in the season so have great respect for them.

On any given day you can bump into another of the lads at the supermarket while the weekly shop is taking place.

Bryan Rennie's shopping habits have interested Clive this week

It is interesting to have a glance down as to what is going into their trolley.

Recently, I bumped into Bryan Rennie. While we were discussing the pros and cons of watermelons, the cheeky blighter managed to sneak some bird seeds, a pair of slippers, a hairband, 12 chicken wings, a pot of rodent killer and two tins of tuna into the trolley beside me (the tuna was buy one get one free).

With Bryan chuckling, we went our separate ways and continued on our shopping route.

What he didn't realise was that the trolley belonged to an innocent little old lady and amid all the confusion I had managed to put a 42-inch plasma TV with built-in surround sound into his.