Chiefs team to face Glasgow

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has called on his side to "front up" for their final pre-season test against Glasgow Warriors at Sandy Park tomorrow (3pm).

With warm-up victories over Scarlets (23-15) and Bristol (51-7) already secured in the past fortnight, the Chiefs will be looking to maintain their 100 per cent record against the visiting Scotsmen.

With just over a week to go until Exeter's Aviva Premiership opener at Northampton Saints, Baxter hopes to use this latest work-out as the perfect preparation tool ahead of their 2013-14 campaign.

"It's a good challenge for us and one that we're really looking forward too," said the Chiefs coach. "Obviously we are expecting it to be the biggest challenge of our three pre-season games - and it's obviously an important game going into the start of the new Premiership season, so we'll need to front up completely.

"Last year we played Glasgow in a similar fixture and in a lot of ways it was a perfect game for us. Not only was it a tough away game, but we had to travel on the day and we played the game at a different ground. Looking back, we did some incredible things that day because we rocked up, we got a couple of injuries in the warm-up, and it looked as though everything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong.

"That said, we put in a fantastic performance up in Scotland, one in which we dominated for large parts and showed a great attitude. This weekend we'll be looking to do the same, but we know Glasgow are a good side; they put in a decent performance against Harlequins last week; and thy a good year in the Rabo Pro12 last year, so they'll be looking to be better this year.

"It was pre-season last year that we laid down some good foundations for our whole year ahead. The attitude we showed in all our games, including the Glasgow game, was what it was all about for us. On the night we should have won by more against them, but the weather came in a bit and in the end it tighter than we expected. However, it was a good test for us and I'm expecting similar again this weekend."

Buoyed by the recent wins over Scarlets and Bristol, the Chiefs will be hoping tomorrow's tussle will allow them to put the finishing touches towards their seasonal game plan.

Baxter says his squad have enjoyed a good training week and are literally counting down the days until their encounter with the Saints at Franklin's Gardens.

"Training has been good and there has definitely been more intensity around the place," he said. "We're going with a squad of 30 for this weekend, but we'll probably run most of the group longer than in the other games with that view that come the end we not only want a good performance, but also a good idea of our team going into the Northampton game.

"We're pleased with how the first two games have gone and we've been able to get some good quality video that identifies one or two areas that need some attention. Obviously we're pleased with huge amounts of our attacking game, our attacking intent and the way we found space and the way we've moved the ball around. Again defensively there have been lots of good things, although we did ship a bit of a soft try [against Bristol], but as a whole big pieces of our game have held up well.

"What we have to do this weekend - and also in the build-up to next week's game - is pin down some of the more technical details. As I said, this weekend will be a much tougher challenge for us, so those skills have to stand up a bit more under pressure. That, however, is the whole point of pre-season. You want games to be tough because that is the only way to prepare for the Premiership."

Tickets for tomorrow's game are still available either online by clicking here or can be purchased from the Ticket Office, which will open from 12 noon on match-day.

 
CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE GLASGOW WARRIORS

15 Luke Arscott
14 Fetu'u Vainikolo
13 Phil Dollman
12 Jason Shoemark
11 Ian Whitten
10 Gareth Steenson
9 Haydn Thomas
1 Brett Sturgess
2 Jack Yeandle
3 Carl Rimmer
4 Dean Mumm (capt)
5 Damian Welch
6 Ben White
7 Tom Johnson
8 Dave Ewers

Replacements (from): Ben Moon, Chris Whitehead, Alex Brown, Tom Hayes, Romana Graham, James Scaysbrook, Kai Horstmann, James Phillips, Will Chudley, Dave Lewis, Henry Slade, Ceri Sweeney, Tom James, Sam Hill, Matt Jess.