Team news: Chiefs Women announce side for trip to Bear country
Exeter Chiefs Women have reshuffled the pack ahead of their round nine PWR game against Bristol Bears and their first visit to Ashton Gate.
Hope Rogers, Cliodhna Moloney and DaLeaka Menin are back in the front row while the locks remain unchanged from the team’s last outing against Sale Sharks two weeks’ ago.
In the back row, Rachel Johnson and Maddie Feaunati will join Ebony Jefferies to complete the pack while the backs remain unchanged. Emily Robinson misses out having a sustained an ankle injury in training.
On the bench, hooker Emily Tuttosi is back in from a spell out with concussion to make her first appearance for Exeter Chiefs this season. Linde van der Velden also returns following suspension and Lori Cramer also comes back in this week to take on Bristol.
Chiefs go into tomorrow’s game as the only unbeaten side in the league with Harlequins hot on their heels, just three points behind. Bristol are in fourth place with 25 points.
Head coach Susie Appleby said: “When you go away to a top side, it’s about picking up points, whether it be winning points or bonus points, but you don’t come away with a win. Those little things are massively important.
“Nothing is easy. I think that is what is exciting about being a player or a coach in this league. No game is a given anymore; it’s about who can be on the money on any given weekend.”
This will be Exeter Chiefs Women’s100th competitive – league or cup – game as a team with seven of the club’s original players in the 23: Gabby Cantorna, Merryn Doidge, Ebony Jefferies, Poppy Leitch, Flo Robinson, Emily Tuttosi and Linde van der Velden.
Bristol, on the other hand, have had a busy week off the pitch and will have their tails up following their victory over Gloucester-Hartpury.
Appleby said: “Bristol away is really tough and we’ve never been to Ashton Gate, so it’s a new experience for us. It’s a big pitch and we’re back on grass; we like playing on grass. The weather forecast is not looking very good, but you have got to be able to deal with anything and we have got to be prepared to have any combination take the field and take on a big team, and Bristol is a really big team.”
This round of games will mark the halfway point in the PWR 2024/25 season, which has been condensed to accommodate the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025. Every team will have had their first bye week by the end of this weekend too to get a clearer picture of the standings as the league heads into its second half.
Chiefs Women will kick-off at 15:05 against Bristol Bears Women at Ashton Gate on Saturday. The game is being broadcast live by TNT.
Exeter Chiefs Women
15 Merryn Doidge
14 Sabrina Poulin
13 Nancy McGillivray
12 Alexandra Tessier
11 Katie Buchanan
10 Liv McGoverne
9 Flo Robinson (vc)
1 Hope Rogers
2 Cliodhna Moloney
3 DaLeaka Menin
4 Poppy Leitch (c)
5 Dorothy Wall
6 Ebony Jefferies
7 Maddie Feaunati
8 Rachel Johnson
16 Emily Tuttosi
17 Mikiela Nelson
18 Charli Jacoby
19 Linde van der Velden
20 Niamh Orchard
21 Lucy Nye
22 Gabby Cantorna
23 Lori Cramer
