Chiefs set for pre-season tests
By Mark Stevens
17/8/18
After weeks in planning, the wait is finally over for Exeter Chiefs as they prepare to kick-off their 2018/19 campaign with this weekend’s pre-season double-header.
It all begins this evening with tonight’s trip to Championship side Cornish Pirates (7:30pm), before Rob Baxter’s side play host to Cardiff Blues at Sandy Park tomorrow (3pm).
These are two of three warm-up clashes Devon’s finest will undergo, the final one is a week today away to Munster, after which the new Gallagher Premiership season begins in earnest against Leicester Tigers on September 1.
With little change in personnel during the close season, Wales & British Lions star Alex Cuthbert is the only major senior import, it’s been pretty much business as usual for the Chiefs.
However, head coach Ali Hepher says the time is right for the Exeter players to put all their hard work into practice, starting this weekend against the Pirates and the Blues.
“We’ve been waiting for these games now for a couple of weeks, so it will be good to see what we have worked on over pre-season in practice,” said Hepher. “These games will allow us to see what works, what doesn’t work, and what we perhaps need to tweak.
“There is only so much you can do in terms of running your own sessions, therefore it’s nice to test it all out against sides that don’t know what’s coming - and vice-versa for our defence to come up against different forms of attack.”
Weeks of gruelling training have ensured the Chiefs have hit this stage in fine physical fettle, but now it’s imperative that get their contact skills up and running.
“The hit outs this weekend will be great for the guys,” added Hepher. “They’ve all worked very hard over these last few weeks, but now we’re heading into game weeks and things will start to come at us thick and fast.
“We’ve worked hard on a few new things, simply because you can’t afford to stand still at this level, but whether or not those things have worked we’ll see over these next three games. Our foundations we know are pretty solid given what we’ve done over the last few years, but at the same time we learnt some good lessons from some big games last season.
“What we have to do, like every other side, is find a way to get better and improve how we go about things. As I said, this weekend we’ve got two fantastic tests that will allow us to get a a gauge of where we are at currently.
“As coaches we’re just as excited as the players about starting the new season. We know expectations will be high, but that’s how you want it to be. We don’t want to be seen as underdogs like we were a few years ago, we want to be classed as one of those top sides because that means your consistently playing at the very top end of your game.”
Looking ahead to the two games, Hepher added: “We know the Pirates very well and we have close links with them as a club. They’ve done very well over the years and it will be good to see a few of our guys lining up in their side.
“We know they will be very competitive, especially at home and in front of a big crowd, and when we’ve played them in the past they’ve always provided stiff opposition against us.
“Equally, the Blues will be another big test for us. They showed last season they are a strong side by winning the European Challenge Cup, and they seem to get better as the season progressed.
“They’ve obviously got a new coach come in this season, so the players will want to impress him, plus they beat us this time last year so we know what they are capable of bringing to the game.”
For all the Chiefs’ players on duty this weekend, the games offer them centre stage to impress the watching Exeter coaches.
“There are lots of 50-50 calls across the squad,” continued Hepher. “We’ve got lots of players fit and available, so we’ll look to get as much game time into those guys as we can and get them all ready for the start of the season.
“As always, it’s up to the players to go out there and perform. Rob always says we will pick off what we see with our own eyes, so if guys go out and perform in a shirt, then it’s up to the others to then wrestle it off them. Having that competition for places is not only healthy, but it will help drive standards and quality up across the board.”
Tonight’s match with the Pirates is a sell-out, but there are still tickets available for tomorrow’s clash with Cardiff Blues. To purchase tickets, simply click here
Exeter Chiefs side to face Cornish Pirates
15 Sal M’Boge; 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Tom Hendrickson, 11 James Short;10 Gareth Steenson (capt), 9 Stuart Townsend; 1 Moray Low, 2 Elvis Taione, 3 Jack Owlett; 4 Toby Salmon; 5 Wilhelm Van Der Sluys; 6 Richard Capstick, 7 James Freeman, 8 Tom Lawday.
Replacements (from): James Kenny, Jack Innard, Alfie Petch, Flynn Elworthy, Rus Tuima, Cory Teague, Sean Lonsdale, Joe Snow, Sam Maunder, Barry Karea, Sam Morley, Carl Morgan, Joe Elderkin.
Exeter Chiefs side to face Cardiff Blues
15 Phil Dollman; 14 Tom O’Flaherty, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Olly Woodburn; 10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Nic White; 1 Greg Holmes, 2 Jack Yeandle (capt), 3 Harry Williams; 4 Ollie Atkins, 5 Sam Skinner; 6 Don Armand, 7 Matt Kvesic, 8 Sam Simmonds.
Replacements (from): Alec Hepburn, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tomas Francis Rus Tuima, Cory Teague, Sean Lonsdale, Joe Snow, Sam Maunder, Barry Karea, Sam Morley, Carl Morgan, Joe Elderkin.