Squad have chance to shine

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter says the opportunity is there for a number of his first team squad to go out and impress him as attentions switches this weekend from the demands of the Aviva Premiership to that of the LV= Cup.

Fresh from their 33-9 victory over Worcester Warriors in the top flight on Saturday, the Chiefs head to league rivals London Welsh on Sunday (4pm) for their opening fixture in the Anglo-Welsh competition.

It will mark the second competitive meeting of the two sides at the Kassam Stadium, this after the Chiefs went down 25-24 to Welsh in the Premiership at the Oxfordshire venue back in September.

"The LV= is going to be exciting for us and is a great opportunity for all the players," said Baxter, who is likely to utilise his squad to the full over the next fortnight. "I hope they do look on it as an opportunity because there are a number of them that are pushing very hard.

“For sure we will look at things over the next few weeks, but the reality is we have a lot of guys who all want to put their hands up for selection. There are guys below our current group who are really pushing hard and I am expecting some big performances in the LV= Cup – not just from the senior players, but from guys who have been on the bench recently and also from the academy.

"It’s a big opportunity for all of them because it’s no secret we select on form and whoever comes back into the next Premiership block in the best form will be the guys we look too.”

Certainly those who featured in Saturday's success over Worcester underlined their selection claims, but it will be those who Baxter opts to bring in that will now have the chance to make a similar impression.

He added: "Guys like Ben Moon, Chris Budgen and Neil Clark are going to have opportunities to push their claim, as are some of our younger academy guys who, the reality is, we want to see in a first-team shirt, and see what they can do.

"As I said, I'm really excited about how someone like Dave Ewers goes from the start in an important first-team game. Damian Welch has also been on the fringes of the squad for a quite a while now and there's a fantastic opportunity for him.

"We're in a great position now, we've had a good run of Premiership results, we've had a nice time in Europe and we can give any bumps and bruises a bit of time to freshen up now for the guys not involved in the LV= Cup or away with international sides."

After Sunday's clash, the Chiefs will then entertain the Ospreys in their second LV= Cup game on Saturday, November 17.

As it will be Remembrance Week, the Chiefs will be recognising the efforts of all our Armed Forces and Emergency Services by staging a special match-day in their honour.

For the Ospreys fixture, which will kick-off at the later time of 5pm to avoid a clash with England’s Autumn international against Australia, any serving member of the Armed Forces or the Emergency Services will be able to watch the game for FREE, providing they show a current and valid ID card to staff at the club ticket office.

Also, the Chiefs will be offering a second ticket incentive to supporters who wish to bring their families to the game, by offering two FREE child places for any two paying adults attending the Ospreys match.

These offers can only be claimed by personnel visiting the main ticket office at Sandy Park between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.