Team News: Chiefs Ring the Changes for Stade Toulousain Clash

Exeter Chiefs have named their side for Round Two of the Investec Champions Cup as they welcome French juggernauts Stade Toulousain to Sandy Park on Sunday evening.

The reigning Champions arrive on Devon soil having defeated Ulster 61-21 in Round One at the Stade Ernest Wallon while Rob Baxter’s men fell to defeat in Durban against Hollywoodbets Sharks.

There are two changes in the Chiefs’ front row as Will Goodrick-Clarke and Ehren Painter come in to start at loosehead and tighthead. Dan Frost retains his hooker spot having scored a try brace in last weekend’s clash.

Rusi Tuima returns to the line-up to partner Richard Capstick in the second row. Ross Vintcent returns to the back row at eight with Ethan Roots and match captain Jacques Vermeulen steadying things on the flanks.

Stu Townsend takes the nine shirt for another week. After a week’s rest following the Autumn internationals, Henry Slade returns to start at fly half.

The rest of the backline remains intact with Tommy Wyatt and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the wings, Tamati Tua and Ben Hammersley in the centre and Josh Hodge at fullback.

Director of Rugby Rob Baxter said that, while his side have struggled to log a win recently, they will look to confront the game with a positive mindset and put their game plan into action.

“We’re aware that one of our Achilles heels for the last 18 months or so has been the parts of games where you lose momentum and you’re trying to regain control.

“We found that that was a little bit of what happened to us in South Africa last week – we started well but there was a little period where we lost momentum and then we struggled to get ourselves back in charge.

“We’ve got to try to keep improving in that department so that we can try to be stronger in more periods of the game against Toulouse.

“I’m still one of these really positive people. I’ve seen groups of players in Exeter Chiefs teams achieve incredible things. I go into every game with an expectation that this is the opportunity for that to happen.

“That’s the beauty of sport – that you can go into a game and, if you get things right, then you can achieve things as a group that is almost beyond what anyone would think.

“I’m not going into this game against Toulouse with any other expectation than we’re going to try to win it. We’re not going into it just to see if we can hang in it, we’re going into it to win it.”

Club captain Jack Yeandle returns to the match 23 as he is named on the bench with Kwenzo Blose and Jimmy Roots to form the replacement front row. Dafydd Jenkins could make his highly anticipated injury return as he joins Greg Fisilau in rounding out the forward cover.

Will Becconsall, Will Haydon-Wood and Zack Wimbush are primed to take the field in the backs.

Exeter Chiefs:

15 Josh Hodge

14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso

13 Ben Hammersley

12 Tamati Tua

11 Tommy Wyatt

10 Henry Slade

9 Stu Townsend

1 Will Goodrick-Clarke

2 Dan Frost

3 Ehren Painter

4 Rusi Tuima

5 Richard Capstick

6 Ethan Roots

7 Jacques Vermeulen (c)

8 Ross Vintcent

Replacements:

16 Jack Yeandle

17 Kwenzo Blose

18 Jimmy Roots

19 Dafydd Jenkins

20 Greg Fisilau

21 Will Becconsall

22 Will Haydon-Wood

23 Zack Wimbush

Unavailable through injury: Jack Dunne, Olly Woodburn