BOB CASEY'S DIARY:Victories like the one we enjoyed at the weekend stand to the team in the long term and it provided the perfect antidote to our recent Heineken Cup disappointment

A DOG-eared phrase employed by my former coach at Leinster, Matt Williams, about “controlling the controllables” sprung to mind as we attempted to negotiate a journey from London to Sandy Park for our Aviva Premiership clash with the Exeter Chiefs.

The first inkling it was going to be a rather fraught experience came when our regular chef got stuck in traffic. Those medium rare sausages just didn’t quite taste the same. We haven’t played Exeter before so there was a touch of novelty about the trip. The accepted wisdom was not to undertake the three-hour journey by coach in case there were traffic issues.

Instead we got a bus to Reading, a 45 minute spin, and then looked forward to a one and a half hour train ride to Exeter in a pre-booked carriage. Unfortunately on arrival we discovered that the train was jammed and that our designated seats were occupied. People just kept their heads down until they were tapped on the shoulder and it was gently pointed out that they were in the wrong seats.

In fairness only those who were playing in the match forced the issue with our backroom team and management electing to stand for the duration of the journey. To cap it all the train was delayed by half an hour. I think we got a full refund. Being the true professional, I got into the zone by watching the Sopranos.

Matters didn’t improve appreciably when we got to the hotel to discover there was a wedding on and therefore no room available for us to chill out as a group. Instead we ended up milling around the lobby and the bar area, taking in the early Premiership soccer match between Spurs and Everton.

We have a vibrant Fantasy Football League going at the club and it’s very important to keep up to date with your investment. Quite what the bride made of all these lads cluttering up the hotel on her wedding day wasn’t ascertained.

Exeter Chiefs have a great set-up in a beautiful part of the world. There was a great atmosphere and we were delighted to come away with a win in a hard-fought encounter. Not many teams will manage that feat down there.

Perhaps in keeping with the day Steffon Armitage, who is recovering from injury, was brought along to fulfil the water boy role and get messages onto the pitch. He cramped up in the first half and spent most of the match just watching from the sideline.

I had hoped to catch up with a few of Exeter’s Irish brigade but a brief chat with Tom Hayes coming off the pitch was all I managed because he had to go off attend to corporate responsibilities. Gareth Steenson had come off injured while David Gannon hadn’t made the match squad. I did run into Exeter centre Bryan Rennie and his girlfriend; he had stayed with me for three weeks while he was settling in at London Irish.

The Blackrock SCT, under the guidance of my good friend Peter Smyth, were at the match having earlier played and beaten an Ivybridge Community College team that included five current England under-18 internationals.

Victories like the one we enjoyed at the weekend stand to the team in the long term and it provided the perfect antidote to our Heineken Cup disappointment against the Ospreys. A tangible legacy from that defeat was that all bar four or five of the team ended up having to attend tackle club with our defence guru Dave Ellis. You know you’re in trouble and how angry he is when his teeth are out and the cap is off.

In our seven matches prior to the weekend we had a 90 per cent tackle completion rate but against the Ospreys it was in the high 70s. We missed 18 tackles – I went to dive at Marty Holah’s ankles and he skipped over me – when it previous matches the average would be about eight.

The tackle club comes at the end of a day when you have a double session. The drills are done in groups of six and we had to make 18 tackles in-a-row; any mistakes and the count goes back to zero. It’s compulsory for the academy players to attend on a weekly basis and unfortunately one of them put a foot in the wrong place and we were obliged to start again. I’m sure his body will turn up eventually.

The Wayne Rooney saga got me thinking about the difference between rugby and soccer and the issue of contracts. I can only think of a couple of current players who have left one club for another mid-contract. Andy Powell and the Cardiff Blues came to a mutual understanding that the arrangement wasn’t right for either party. He’s fitting in well at Wasps.

Gavin Henson doesn’t want to go back to the Ospreys and he might strike it lucky if Saracens can broker an agreement, as the club seeks to find a replacement for Derick Hougaard who tore his Achilles tendon in the defeat to Leinster.

In rugby a players generally has to bide his time if things are not working out. It’s only in exceptional circumstances that he would go to the coach or CEO to try and secure an early release on realising that you’re simply not wanted at a club. Speaking of releases I had yesterday and today off, a sabbatical that has allowed me to catch up with friends. It’s not a bad way to finish what has been a satisfying Bank Holiday weekend