Arscott ready for Sharks test

 

By Mark Stevens

Luke Arscott says he and his Exeter Chiefs team-mates will have to meet "fire with fire" when they tackle Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership tonight (7.45pm).

After four weeks of action in both the Heineken and LV= Cups, the Chiefs return to top flight matters looking to get themselves back amongst the top six against the division's basement boys.

Sale, though, are fighting for their Premiership lives and in the build-up to this latest meeting of the two clubs they have made no secret of the fact they are targeting the visit of Rob Baxter's side to get their own campaign firing again.

Full-back Arscott is well aware of the threat the Sharks pose at their new Salford City Stadium base and says the Chiefs will have to be on their game from minute one as they look to record a sixth successive league win over their Northern rivals.

“It is going to be a massive dogfight to start with, I think there will be huge intensity in the first 20-30 minutes,” Arscott said. “We are going to have to come out fighting fire with fire and hopefully we can come out on the right side of the result.

“I think we were our own worst enemies up there last season because Sale came out and showed what quality they have, although they were in a different position to where they are now.

“They are under a bit more pressure this year and that can help us if we can keep mounting the pressure on them and impose our game on them and hopefully we can keep going and score a few tries.”

Having sunk the Sharks 43-6 on the opening day of the season at Sandy Park, Exeter know they can expect a much tougher proposition from Steve Diamond's side in this return fixture.

Last season the Sharks started like a freight train in the clash at Edgeley Park, storming into a 20-0 lead in as many minutes. However, the Chiefs regrouped well and staged an incredible comeback - which included a last-gasp try from fly-half Ignacio Mieres - to emerge as 30-23 victors.

Ahead of kick-off, Diamond has gone public in various quarters about the importance of tonight's game for his club, stating: "The game against Exeter Chiefs is a huge game for Sale Sharks. We have nine games remaining and we intend to give it everything we have got to help secure our Premiership status."

However, Arscott says the Chiefs are fully focused themselves on the job in hand and are looking to build off some impressive displays in both Europe and the LV= Cup..

“To be honest, we don’t take much notice of that. For us, we are concentrated on what we have to do,” he said. “We are under no illusions. We probably haven’t got the results that we have wanted in the Premiership recently, but hopefully we can go on a bit of a run in the next three or four weeks and really start to look at pushing on up the table.

“We desperately want to be in that top six, if not pushing for the top four.”

Arscott will line-up in a Chiefs side that shows seven changes from their last outing in the Premiership against Northampton Saints on January 5.

Up front, skipper Tom Hayes, Ben White and James Scaysbrook all start, whilst behind Will Chudley is in at nine; Jason Shoemark and Sireli Naqelevuki form a powerful midfield; plus there is a Premiership debut for Fijian flyer Watisoni Votu on the right wing and Cornish youngster Jack Nowell gets the nod on the other flank.