'Fantastic test' awaits the Chiefs
By Mark Stevens
13/1/19
Rob Baxter says he and his Exeter Chiefs side will be ready for "a fantastic test" when they face a Heineken Champions Cup showdown against Munster next Saturday.
The Chiefs kept alive their quarter-final hopes with a 34-12 victory over reigning French Top 14 champions Castres to move to second in Pool Two, four points adrift of the Irishmen, who on Friday proved too strong for Gloucester at Kingsholm.
Tries by Jack Nowell, Joe Simmonds, Jonny Hill, Tom O'Flaherty, Henry Slade and replacement hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie - plus two Simmonds conversions - ensured maximum reward for the Devonians, who know they still face a Herculean task to progress.
Baxter’s side will need to become only the fifth side in the history of the competition to beat Munster in Limerick, although a losing bonus point would still edge the Irish heavyweights through as Pool Two winners unless the Chiefs post a try bonus-point victory.
History is also against Baxter's men, as no team has reached the tournament's knockout phase after failing to win any of their first three games. Exeter drew with Munster, then lost to Castres away and Gloucester at home.
However, the current Gallagher Premiership leaders have given themselves more than a decent shot at possible qualification and they will be spurred on by a healthy contingent of Chiefs’ supporters who will make their way across the Irish Sea to be part of a sell-out crowd at Thomond Park.
"We have done the most important thing, which is get to the last stage of the pool effectively in a knockout game," said Baxter post-match."It is not as simple as that because we have to do more than just win the game. We have to collect at least a four-point gap to get level with Munster, but we have given ourselves a definite something to go over there and play for.
"We can genuinely talk this week about going and testing ourselves in one of Europe's iconic venues against one of Europe's iconic teams, in as close to a knockout as we could get.
"It is going to be a fantastic test for us, and great to see which players want to stand up and fight. The biggest thing for us is to get emotionally recharged.
"Looking at Munster (at Gloucester) on Friday, they went there absolutely bubbling with emotion, to get in the faces of Gloucester, particularly in the forwards.
"It was almost evident they had a real game-plan to go after certain people within the Gloucester team. That is the thing we have got to face first.We have to decide that they are going to go there and stand up and not back down, physically or emotionally. And that will give us our best chance."
Exeter’s victory also helped to avenge the 29-25 loss to the Frenchmen in Round Two of this season’s competition. On that day, Christophe Urios’ side had No.8 Maama Vaipulu sent off for a high tackle and they suffered a similar fate at Sandy Park when replacement prop Tudor Stroe was dismissed midway through the second half for a swinging forearm into Chiefs centre Ollie Devoto's head.
Although wing Taylor Paris and centre Thomas Combezou scored tries for visitors, one of which was converted by fly-half Benjamin Urdapilleta, the Chiefs were good value and deservedly maintained their European dream.
Baxter paid tribute to England wing Nowell, who scored a sparkling solo try in the No 15 shirt on his first appearance since mid-November after being sidelined by a hamstring injury.
"It was great to see guys like Jack Nowell back, playing so well," Baxter said."We saw Jack picking and going and getting his hands on the ball, way more than a full-back normally would. It suited him the way the game went.
"Jack can play pretty much anywhere across the backline. When we are playing that relatively high-tempo game, it doesn't really matter what number is on his back. There is certainly a possibility of him staying there (full-back) for a little while now, after playing so well."
