Adam Jones insists Harlequins are not sulking after defeat to Saracens with attention firmly on a trip to Exeter Chiefs on Sunday. 

Quins were edged 30-27 at the Twickenham Stoop in an early-season rendition of the London derby in Gallagher Premiership Rugby. 

It was the fourth time in a row that Quins have tasted defeat against their bitter London rivals, including last season’s semi-final. 

But Jones insists there is no time to dwell on the past, with everyone focused on Sunday’s mouth-watering clash with the Chiefs. 

He said: “It’s a bit of a rugby cliché, but there is always stuff to take.  

“We had a pretty good review of it, and I think there is a lot of stuff we could have done better, what has got us to where we are now, probably coming out of our shell a bit when we are 17-0 up. 

“There are chances to have a crack and finish them off, but we just couldn’t do it. 

“They are obviously a very good side with some very good players, and when you are rocking up with five or six Lions in your squad and god knows how many internationals, it’s always going to be a tough game. 

“It is the same with Exeter this weekend, but we’re not going down there to fear them, we’re going to have a go at them.” 

Quins famously won their second Premiership title against the Chiefs in the 2020/21 season in arguably the greatest final of all time, a 40-38 win at Twickenham. 

Last year the London side’s final match of the regular season was at Sandy Park, with the Chiefs gaining revenge on the year before to win 47-38 in another thriller. 

Chiefs finished outside the play-offs for the first time in five seasons last year but have begun this season with two victories from their opening two matches. 

“The year we did win the league, the day we went down there and pushed them was a turning point for us and it was a bit like ok we can do this and we do have a really good team here, said Jones. 

“They have been the benchmark for the last five or six years, bar last year, but until then, they had been in the top four for all those years. 

“They have either got to the final or won it, so you know if you have got a team doing that, they are a pretty good side. 

“But we know we can compete, and we will go down at the weekend and have a crack.”