Exeter Chiefs head coach Susie Appleby has said she is proud of her club’s ‘fighting spirit’ after they defeated Bristol Bears despite being a player down.

Chiefs’ Patricia Garcia was given a red card early in the second half after a dangerous tackle on Bears’ Jasmine Joyce.

Appleby said: “The red card was a bit disappointing. I’m gutted for Pat. It was nothing malicious, obviously, but then we had to deal with it. I think that was the turning point wasn’t it?

“What resilience can we show? What fight? What real Chiefs spirit? And the girls found a way, they found a way to win in the face of adversity.”

Chiefs beat Bears 31-27 which was their fourth win of the season and they are now sat in fifth. They will play Harlequins this weekend and Appleby added it will be a good battle between the clubs.

“Let’s get a little bit more right and cut out those errors. Some of that comes from the decision making and the tactical side. Let’s not go too hard physically as it’s going to be a battle of attrition over these next few weeks. 

"We had an interesting game against Quins. They’re a very good side and top of the league for a reason so, it’s going to be great!”

Earlier in the season Quins beat Chiefs 33-14.