Chiefs side to face Falcons
By Mark Stevens
26/10/18
Ricky Pellow insists there is genuine excitement within the Exeter Chiefs camp as they prepare to kick-off the defence of their Premiership Rugby Cup crown this Sunday at Newcastle Falcons (3pm).
After weeks of gruelling battle in the Gallagher Premiership and Heineken Champions Cup, it’s a change of focus for the Devonians, who over the years have used this very tournament as the ideal launchpad to develop a glut of homegrown talent.
International stars including Jack Nowell, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Henry Slade and Sam Simmonds all cut their teeth in this very competition before going on to establish themselves as key components in the rise of the Chiefs.
This weekend, new fledgling faces will be given their chance to shine at Kingston Park, lining up alongside a glut of more established names, all of whom will be looking to drive the Chiefs onwards and upwards.
In a competition which has served the Chiefs well over the years, skills coach Pellow is once again targeting a big campaign from his troops as they prepare for battle against the Falcons, Bath, Harlequins and Bristol Bears.
“It’s an exciting competition to get our teeth stuck into again,” said Pellow. “It’s been a tough block of fixtures in the Premiership and Champions Cup, so to get into a new competition with new players and different challenges is really exciting for us.
“From a squad perspective, not only does it allow us to have a look at one of two of the younger guys in a real competitive game, but also it allows us to get game time into some of the more senior players who are just inches away from selection ahead of that next Premiership block.
“If you look at it, we use the Premiership Cup as a good tool to spread game time out across our squad in pressure environments. It’s a bit different this year with it only being Premiership teams in the competition, but it will still be the same fierce competition it was last season.”
Pellow added: “Because we don’t know who Newcastle will necessarily play at the weekend, we’ve tended to focus a lot more on ourselves this week. We’ve talked about what we will do, how we want to attack the game and how we want to be that side that can go back-to-back in terms of being champions.
“We know going up to Newcastle will be tough, it always is against them, but it’s the sort of challenge you should really relish and getting excited about. We’re not reading too much into where they are in terms of the Premiership because you only have to look at what they’ve done in the Champions Cup these past two weeks to see they are a good club.
“A bit like us they’ve got a big squad with a lot of strength in depth. They are also going very well in the A League, so we need to be ready to meet their threat head on. We need to go up there and rip the game away from them because it’s going to be one hell of a challenge for us.”
As Pellow warned, the Falcons come into the game on the back of impressive European wins against RC Toulon and Montpellier, whilst the Chiefs came unstuck for the first time this term last weekend when they went down 29-25 away to Castres.
The visitors, however, travel safe in the knowledge that recent outings against the Falcons have proved more than favourable, including their victory over Dean Richards’ side in last season’s Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final at Sandy Park.
“That was probably one of our best wins last season,” said Pellow.“Newcastle came down with a virtually full-strength side that day, but our guys really put up an outstanding display and were rewarded with a great victory.”
A similar outcome this weekend would more than suffice for Pellow and the travelling Chiefs.
Team news for the visitors sees them go with an all-international front-row of Moray Low, Elvis Taione and Greg Holmes, the latter of whom will skipper the side for the first time. Behind them, Wilhelm Van Der Sluys and Tom Lawday are the sole survivors in the pack from last weekend’s game in Castres.
Behind the pack, Sam Maunder and Harvey Skinner offer up a youthful, yet dynamic half-back pairing, whilst alongside them there is plenty of firepower in the form of Sam Hill and Tom Hendrickson in the midfield with Tom O’Flaherty, Olly Woodburn and Max Bodilly filling the back three.
CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE NEWCASTLE FALCONS
15 Max Bodilly
14 Tom O’Flaherty
13 Tom Hendrickson
12 Sam Hill
11 Olly Woodburn
10 Harvey Skinner
9 Sam Maunder
1 Moray Low
2 Elvis Taione
3 Greg Holmes (capt)
4 Toby Salmon
5 Wilhelm Van Der Sluys
6 Josh Caulfield
7 Sean Lonsdale
8 Tom Lawday
16 Jack Innard
17 Billy Keast
18 Marcus Street
19 Onehunga Kaufusi
20 James Freeman
21 Joe Snow
22 Sam Morley
23 James Short
