Chiefs side to face Wasps

By Mark Stevens

Rob Baxter knows the rewards of another hard year in the Aviva Premiership are within his side's grasp as his Exeter Chiefs squad prepare to travel to London Wasps in their penultimate game of the season on Sunday (2pm).

Four wins in their last five top flight fixtures have helped propel the Chiefs into the all-important top six as the battle for qualification in next season's Heineken Cup reaches boiling point.

Entering into this weekend's fixtures, the Chiefs hold a slender advantage over both Bath (2 points) and Wasps (3 points) for the final European spot - and Baxter is hopeful his troops can continue their recent good form in what promises to be a huge battle.

Fresh from a 27-6 home win over London Irish, a result Baxter claimed afterwards felt like a "semi-final", this weekend the attention turns to Adams Park in what is effectively a final for both teams.

"It does feel like it is the final this weekend, primarily because we have been on a run of games where slipping up would have cost us a chance of finishing in the top six," said Baxter. "Fortunately, that hasn't happened. The last five games have brought four wins and a very narrow loss [against Leicester]. That has kept us in the fight and now we find ourselves in a situation where ourselves, Wasps and Bath are pretty much fighting it out for one slot.

"That means there are some massive games to be played over these last two weeks to decide who will be in the Heineken Cup next season. Personally, I think it's a fantastic place for us to be at this stage of the season, still in there fighting for it with two games remaining."

Certainly the Chiefs have hit form at just the right time and Baxter - who sticks with an unchanged side for Sunday's trip - is hopeful his players can rise to the occasion and play with the same confidence they've shown in recent weeks.
 
"Watching the way the guys are training and playing at the moment, you can see they really feel there is a reward within their grasp, and it is for them to go out and grab it now," added the Exeter head coach. "There is not masses you can do at this stage of the season to suddenly go out there and change your game-plan, we are comfortable with the way that we play.

"Often we talk about trying to be ourselves and that is the important thing. In going to Wasps to try and win a place in the Heineken Cup, we must not go there in sixth spot and be afraid of losing that position because that way of thinking does not suit us as a team and that is how you get hurt.

"I won't have any worries about the result, whichever way it goes. If we go there and we are ambitious and go after the game, keep true to ourselves and that makes us good enough, fantastic. The only thing that could make me unhappy is if we went there and played as though we were afraid.

"All season we've tried to set the team up to be good at this stage of the season – this is when things are won. Unfortunately, we are a little bit behind where the big boys are playing which is the top four, but a Heineken Cup spot is still there. As I said, it's great for us to be here and we have to fight and show ambition and show a desire of where we want to end up come the end of the year."

And whilst the Chiefs come into the game on the back of some impressive recent results, Wasps have found victories hard to come with their latest defeat coming at the hands of Leicester Tigers a week ago.

Baxter, however, is reading nothing into the form guide and says he and his team will be prepared to face what promises to be a stiff challenge from Dai Young's men.

He continued: "Over Christmas, when we were down in eighth and on a bit of a poor run, we were the team getting written off from achieving anything in the Premiership. We had lost a few games and people were saying the Heineken Cup had taken it out of us, but look where we are now. It only takes one game to turn your form around and that's what you have to remember.

"Like us, I'm sure Wasps will want to make the game about them as much as possible. Both teams will be looking to bring their key players into the game and in the end it will come down to who does that the best in what will be a very good game of rugby. As I said, I'm not getting too carried away with things, I just want the guys to stay true to themselves and enjoy themselves out there.

"Right now we don't look like a team in the final weeks of the season; we look like a team that wants to be playing. And I think we have a few players here who will be pretty upset by the time the final whistle against Gloucester goes because they want a season like this to keep going and going. All of them have had some great experiences together this season, they are enjoying it as one and I'm sure it will be disappointing when it ends.

"You know it's the same old story with Exeter sometimes, we get credited with being a hard-working team and that we have no real stars, but the reality is these guys are ambitious and they really enjoy the experience of the Premiership and the Heineken Cup and they want to experience it again. From a coaching perspective, it's great to be working with a group of players like that and we have to keep fostering that and driving it to help the players achieve all they can."

CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE LONDON WASPS

15 Luke Arscott
14 Jack Nowell
13 Phil Dollman
12 Jason Shoemark
11 Matt Jess
10 Gareth Steenson
9 Haydn Thomas
1 Brett Sturgess
2 Jack Yeandle
3 Hoani Tui
4 Dean Mumm
5 Damian Welch
6 Ben White
7 James Scaysbrook
8 Richard Baxter (capt)

16 Chris Whitehead
17 Carl Rimmer
18 Craig Mitchell
19 Aly Muldowney
20 Dave Ewers
21 Will Chudley
22 Henry Slade
23 Ian Whitten