Chiefs side to face Glasgow

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has challenged his team to back-up their opening week win in this season's Heineken Cup with another powerful performance north of the border.

The Devon club kicked off their 2013/14 European adventure in some style a week ago when they ran in six tries against Cardiff Blues on the way to a 44-29 victory at Sandy Park.

It was a stunning opening for Baxter's in-form side, who must now switch their attentions to this Sunday's trip to Glasgow Warriors at the Scotstoun Stadium (2pm).

"I think the thing to focus on is not the result, it's how we want to play," said Baxter. "When we do that, the rest of it looks after itself. When we get a bit focused on what we want to get out of the end of the game, as we did against Leicester, we lose our way a little bit.

"When we focus on what's going to happen in the first second of the game and what's everyone's role in how we want to play, we look a decent side."

Indeed, Baxter's troops have shown in recent weeks against Gloucester and the Blues - as well as the second half against Leicester - that when they deliver their game plan, they are more than a force to be reckoned with for any leading side within Europe.

"We don't need to be reactive in any way, we drive things ourselves with the ambition we have," added Baxter. "We are an ambitious club and an ambitious team, but I think what we have done in the last couple of weeks is remember the fundamentals about why we play and what we want to do and achieve.

"That's all we have done, we've just gone back to sorting the little details and attitude of what we want to see and in turn the results have spoken for themselves."

But as Baxter is well aware, the Warriors - who themselves claimed a losing bonus point in their defeat at champions Toulon last week - will be a tough nut to crack and their pre-season win at Sandy Park against the Chiefs is a timely reminder of the threat they will pose to his players.

He continued: "We know it will be a tough game and we know there will be some reaction from them to the Toulon game because Glasgow have been going really well in the Rabo this season.

"They will be disappointed with last week - and they should be - because they probably went there with quite high expectations about the battle they could give to Toulon over there, yet they ended up experiencing one of those days where every offload and every pass that Toulon produced in the early stages seemed to come off.

"That in turn meant the game broke up and when that happens against a side like Toulon, who are one of the most dangerous sides in the world if that happens, it's always going to be tough. That said, I think they showed in the second half that they are a very solid outfit and they play a lot for each other. As we know we had a tough game against them here in pre-season, so we know Sunday will be a big test for us."

The Chiefs, though, will travel to Scotland not only in buoyant mood following recent results, but also in the knowledge that should they claim a second European scalp this term, points-wise it will put them in a great position heading into their double-header with Toulon in December.

Baxter added: "The challege for us now is to understand that the Cardiff performance and the five points we got from that game have made this weekend's game a very big game for us. It has put us in with a shout of really pushing through in the Heineken Cup because once you have one win in that first round, another decent performance in the second will give you a decent collection of points moving into the next phase of the competition.

"What I am hoping for from us is that we don't go into our shells and that we don't go up there and be afraid of losing because things are going OK. Instead lets maintain what we are doing now, which is going out there to win games of rugby. All the time I say to the guys lets enjoy it and play to win, because when we are like that we are a good side and that has to be our key driver this weekend."

Although victorious last time out, Baxter has tinkered with his winning formula with Ben Moon coming in for his first start at loosehead in place of Brett Sturgess; young centre Sam Hill returns in the midfield to partner Jason Shoemark - which in turn means Ian Whitten is shunted back onto the wing with Fetu'u Vainikolo dropping to the bench. The Tongan winger will be joined in the replacements by prop Alex Brown (pictured), who comes in for the injured Carl Rimmer (shoulder).

CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE GLASGOW WARRIORS

15 Phil Dollman
14 Ian Whitten
13 Jason Shoemark
12 Sam Hill
11 Matt Jess
10 Gareth Steenson
9 Dave Lewis
1 Ben Moon
2 Chris Whitehead
3 Hoani Tui
4 Dean Mumm (capt)
5 Damian Welch
6 Tom Johnson
7 Ben White
8 Dave Ewers

16 Jack Yeandle
17 Brett Sturgess
18 Alex Brown
19 Don Armand
20 Kai Horstmann
21 Haydn Thomas
22 Henry Slade
23 Fetu'u Vainikolo