Chiefs side to face Saints

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter believes the next month of the season will go a long way to determining just how his side will fare in the end of season shake-up in the Aviva Premiership.

After a month of European and domestic Cup action which has brought three successive victories for Devon's finest, the top flight returns in earnest tomorrow with the Chiefs ready to welcome high-flying Northampton Saints to Sandy Park (7pm).

It's the start of a crucial four-week block that sees the Chiefs play host to the Saints and Bath over the next fortnight, before they travel to table-topping Saracens and then face London Irish on home soil.

According to Baxter, though, these are "exciting" times and he is hopeful that his team can pull together to deliver a string of results that catapult them back amongst the division's leading four.

“All-in-all it’s an exciting time for us," said Baxter. "This block of games, as tough as it is, also holds some promise for us because we’re not far off where we’ve been in our best seasons and we know we’re capable of putting runs of wins together late in seasons.

“Our target is to make sure we perform well on Saturday and deserve to get something out of the game. We’ll go from there and roll into the next few weeks. That said, we have to deal with the way Northampton can put you under pressure with the way they play and put things in our own hands.”

Certainly the Saints showed on the opening day the threat they pose as they inflicted a heavy 38-11 loss on Baxter's side at Franklin's Gardens. On that occasion much of the damage was caused during a powerful first half showing in which they built up a commanding 31-6 lead. And ahead of this corresponding clash, Baxter is determined to ensure that there is no repeat showing.

He continued: “We’re very aware that Northampton will be a bigger challenge than recent weeks because everyone can see how well they’re going in all competitions. They’ve had an exceptional season so far in the Premiership and their last couple of performances in the LV games have also been very good. They’re playing with tempo and enthusiasm and they’re just getting a lot right. They look a very impressive side at the moment.

“At the same time, we feel we’ve been on pretty good form for the majority of the season. Some people may say a few of the results don’t show that, but sometimes you do have to look at the opposition and the manner of how the games are won and lost to get an appreciation of where you’re going."

Indeed, the past month has underlined that very point as the Chiefs have posted creditable victories against Cardiff Blues, Ospreys and Worcester, the last of which came last weekend as the Warriors were brushed aside 42-3 at Sixways.

During that period Baxter has used the opportunity to give the majority of his squad some vital game time, as well as offering each and every player the chance to stake their claim for places in the Premiership picture.

“Saturday’s performance at Worcester has made selection very hard this week,” said Baxter. “There were certainly performances across the board that have been very impressive over the last three weeks. The majority of the squad have played across those three weeks and it’s hard to pick out the poor performances. There are going to be some tough calls on some players. We’ve also got some England boys coming back so all-round it’s going to be an interesting selection.”

With competition for places so fierce, it's little wonder that it is a powerful match-day squad that the Chiefs are able to put together for tomorrow's tussle. In the pack, skipper Dean Mumm (pictured) and Dave Ewers both return to the fray, whilst behind Phil Dollman comes into the centre. On the bench, Tom Johnson - released by England earlier this week - is included, alongside the returning Don Armand and Fetu'u Vainikolo.

Academy youngster Luke Cowan-Dickie is also included in a Premiership squad for the first time following the late withdrawal of fellow hooker Chris Whitehead.

Supporters are reminded that due to the current inclement weather, please allow additional travel time when heading for the game and also keep an eye out on the official Chiefs website for all match-day information.


CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

15 Luke Arscott
14 Matt Jess
13 Ian Whitten
12 Phil Dollman
11 Tom James
10 Gareth Steenson
9 Dave Lewis
1 Ben Moon
2 Jack Yeandle
3 Alex Brown
4 Dean Mumm (capt)
5 Damian Welch
6 Dave Ewers
7 James Scaysbrook
8 Kai Horstmann

16 Luke Cowan-Dickie
17 Carl Rimmer
18 Hoani Tui
19 Don Armand
20 Tom Johnson
21 Haydn Thomas
22 Henry Slade
23 Fetu'u Vainikolo