Whitten ready for Euro test

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs back Ian Whitten believes Sunday’s European showdown with Connacht will be like a “Cup Final” for both teams as quarter-final qualification begins to hot up in this season’s Challenge Cup.

After four rounds of battle, Rob Baxter’s Chiefs side currently top Pool Two by two points from their Irish rivals and know a victory in Galway will ensure them of a last eight place for only the second time in their history.

Having overcome the Irish province 33-13 in the corresponding fixture at Sandy Park back in October, Whitten knows a much tougher test lies in store for him and his team-mates this weekend.

He said: "It will be a tough contest over at Connacht as they are going really well over there this year and are playing a good brand of rugby under Pat Lam.

"It could be a very different game over there to when we played them on our ground as it can get very wet and windy, so we have to be prepared for either - we can play them how we did before, or switch to our wet weather game if needs be.

"It's really not going to be an easy one for us at all. It's almost like a cup final really for both teams as the winner will probably be the one to go through in the competition.

"We've just got to really attack the game. We need the win and should look forward to it.”

Although former Ulster ace Whitten highlights the likes of Robbie Henshaw and Mils Muliana as key threats for the hosts, the 27-year-old says it would be wrong to just pin-point the duo as the onlyy dangers.

"They've got some very good backs; Robbie Henshaw is going well for Ireland and Mils Muliana is obviously very strong in the back three, so we'll have to be on our toes,” warned the Lisburn-born back, who has been recalled to the Chiefs starting XV for Sunday’s game.

Whitten is one of a handful of changes the Chiefs have made to their side from that which went down to a last-gasp drop-goal at London Irish last weekend.

He comes in on the right wing, Jack Nowell switches into the centre and Henry Slade forms a new half-back pairing with Dave Lewis. Up front, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Alex Brown are the sole changes as they come into the front-row in place of the injured Jack Yeandle and Tomas Francis.

The Irish defeat was a fourth successive setback for the Devon club in the Aviva Premiership since Christmas, but Whitten insists the mood remains upbeat despite the narrow losses of recent weeks.

"It's been a disappointing few weeks with a couple of really tight losses," he said. "But we know that we ourselves have got to just keep working and fighting hard and the results will come back our way.

"It's not as though we have been training badly or anything like that. We've just got to stay confident in ourselves as we know we're a good side.

"We won eight games in a row earlier in the season and we know we can do that again.

"I don't know why we've started losing these games by narrow margins. You can search and search for reasons as to why it's happening, but sometimes you over-think it and get down on yourself.

"That lowers your confidence, so the lesson we've got to learn is to just to think positively and really encourage each other out there.

"If we come together now and fight hard for everything, we can lift ourselves out of this spell."