Chiefs side to face Worcester
By Mark Stevens
3/10/19
With the new Gallagher Premiership season looming large on the horizon, Rob Baxter says the time has come for his Exeter Chiefs side to put their ‘foot to the pedal’.
Having used the opening two rounds of this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup to get game time into one half of his first-team squad, the remainder will now get their chance to impress over the final two fixtures, the first of which is at Worcester Warriors tomorrow (7:45pm), then Bristol Bears at Sandy Park a week on Saturday.
“I’m really pleased with how the guys have gone in the first two games,” said Baxter. “I don’t mind saying the front-rows in both games have done exceptionally well and given us a real pressure point. Sam Maunder has done well, as has Tom Hendrickson, who has looked a solid, senior member of the group.
“Max Bodilly is another who has looked elusive and we saw young Tom Wyatt, who was playing for North Petherton this time last year, come in and do very well. At the same time, the new players – Stan South, Jannes Kirsten and Jacques Vermeulen – all look as though they will be good players for us, so there are lots of positives to take.”
Now, it’s the turn of others – many of whom featured in June’s Gallagher Premiership Final against Saracens – to stake their claim and impress Baxter ahead of their league opener against Harlequins on October 19.
“This week we’re shifting into a different group of players,” added Baxter. “A lot of the players who featured against Leicester are having this week off and doing just little bit of conditioning to tick over. Those who are playing this week had much of last week off, so it means we’re looking at the season with a group of guys who are going to be fresh and excited about playing.
“As a group we feel we have got the balance right, between working hard and giving time to boys to refresh, but now the foot has to hit the pedal so to speak, and these guys now have to step up and put in a performance.”
Like the Chiefs, hosts Worcester started their Cup campaign with a bonus point victory [against Leicester], but then came unstuck at Bath last time out. However, they did glean a losing bonus point from their trip to The Rec and currently lead Pool 3 by a point from Bath, the Chiefs and the Tigers.
“We have some real targets in front of us over these next three weeks, so it’s going to be interesting and exciting because everything we could really want is right on top of us,” continued Baxter. “This week we have cranked things up a notch because there is a period in pre-season where you just have to move on from that feeling of just getting game time and getting yourself ready.
“What you actually have to do now is start looking at a group of players who are going to represent the club in that first Premiership game. We have to start seeing guys who want to hold their hands up and want to be part of that first 15, that first 23. That’s the pressure we have got to be prepared to put ourselves under and something we are certainly going to talk about over these next 10 days.”
With starting spots very much up for grabs, it means those who take to the field at Sixways will be under intense scrutiny to deliver a big performance.
“To be fair, we’ve had some real contests with them over the years,” warned Baxter. “They are one of the few sides to win here in the Premiership in recent years, so it’s going to be a test for us. It’s one of those challenges, though, where we have to make sure that we get ourselves right more than anything else.
“That is what pre-season is all about, it’s about focusing on yourself and getting it right. As I said, we feel we are in a good place, the squad is looking in good shape and now we’ve got two weeks to not only get some intense game time into ourselves, but we’ll look to have a big performance and look to get a positive result which will move us on in this competition.”
Of those who started against the Tigers last week, only South in the second-row is retained from the outset tomorrow. It means it’s a powerful array of talent that Baxter will parade, headed up by captain Jack Yeandle. On the bench, South African duo Kirsten and Vermeulen will again get their chance to shine, as will fellow newcomer Jordon Poole, who has settled well following his summer move from Darlington Mowden Park.
CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE WORCESTER WARRIORS
15 Phil Dollman
14 Tom O'Flaherty
13 Ian Whitten
12 Ollie Devoto
11 Olly Woodburn
10 Joe Simmonds
9 Jack Maunder
1 Alec Hepburn
2 Jack Yeandle (capt)
3 Harry Williams
4 Stan South
5 Sean Lonsdale
6 Dave Ewers
7 Richard Capstick
8 Matt Kvesic
16 Jordon Poole
17 Ben Moon
18 Marcus Street
19 Jannes Kirsten
20 Jacques Vermeulen
21 Sam Maunder
22 Gareth Steenson
23 Tom Hendrickson