Chiefs side to face Sale
By Mark Stevens
18/6/21
Rob Baxter has told his Exeter Chiefs side it’s ‘all or nothing’ ahead of tomorrow’s Gallagher Premiership semi-final against Sale Sharks at Sandy Park (4:30pm).
For a sixth successive season, Devon’s finest will line-up for a last four showdown, knowing they are just one step away from running out at Twickenham in the end of the season showpiece.
It’s a familiar setting for the Chiefs, but the club’s Director of Rugby knows all too well that his players will have to give everything in their quest to overcome a stubborn Sharks outfit who, for an hour at least last weekend, held the upper hand in their Round 22 match-up.
Despite losing Scottish international Sam Skinner to a second half red card, the Chiefs battled back from 19-3 down to eventually triumph 20-19. That success not only ensured the defending champions secured a top two finish but, more importantly, meant they would have home advantage in this swift rematch.
“I’m looking forward to the weekend,” said Baxter. “In a funny kind of way, this is where the season gets exciting. People may think it’s because the big games are coming, which they are, but from a coaching perspective it’s a little different. For me, getting into that top four, the top two, that’s the tough bit. Now, it’s about rolling our sleeves up and enjoying two games to win the season.
“Personally, I have to give great credit to the players for getting to this position again. To win 17, 18 games to get into the top two, that’s tough, but it also shows great consistency. I know Bristol were in the last four last season, but the other two sides haven’t been at this stage for some time, so we have to use our experiences of the past to lock ourselves in and really go after these games.”
As Baxter knows, this is familiar territory for his squad, but he’s also issued a timely warning that nothing can be taken for granted in a game where it’s do or die for both clubs.
“Having been at this stage previously should give us confidence, but equally we can’t be over confident,” he added. “If you look at past history, a lot of our semi-finals have often been tight affairs, often for 50 or 60 minutes, and then we’ve pulled away in a couple of them. All week we’ve spoken about how we’re not expecting anything different from this weekend, so it’s about each and every one of us getting our heads around how tough it’s going to be for the full 80 minutes.”
Certainly, the Chiefs were given a stark reminder of the threat posed by the Sharks last weekend and Baxter says there wasn’t too much he didn’t know already about what Alex Sanderson’s side would bring to the party.
“We know Sale are a good, physical side and they’ll be the same this weekend,” said Baxter. “What we can’t afford to do it stop and try to manage the situation, because that is where we will come unstuck. We did that last week for a period and it wasn’t until we managed the situation that we finally took control. When we lost Skins to the red card, we had no other option but to manage the game, and when we do that, we are a good side.”
Skinner will be absent for tomorrow and the next four weeks after he was suspended by an RFU Disciplinary panel earlier this week for his dismissal - and he will be joined on the sidelines in a similar vein by Dave Ewers, who was found guilty by the same panel following a citing charge brought against him after the game.
The loss of both forwards will certainly be felt by the Chiefs, but Baxter admits those who step up now have the opportunity to make their mark.
“I’m not going to sit here and say what happened with Sam and Dave isn’t disappointing, because it has hurt us as a group,” added Baxter. “Equally, we have to use that hurt in a positive way and I’m certain that whoever steps up will be good in their own right because they themselves are good players.
“Stars are born now, that is how it happens. That bit of steel that finishes off where they need to go is created by moments like this. And that steel is created in furnaces, not running around on the sand or in the sea having a laugh. You do the hard work and get yourself in the thick of the fire, that is what those guys will have to do.”
And it’s not just on the field where the Chiefs will have to deliver, Baxter has this week called on the supporters to play their part in their quest to return to HQ next week.
“That was another one of the frustrations from last week,” explained Baxter. “We had the crowd here ready to go and it wasn’t until late in the game that we got them really going. If I’m honest, it was the crowd though that started the process of us fighting back. They could see us fighting for our lives on the line and it was all of them who got us going and provided that force that drove us home in that last quarter.
“This week, we need to make it about them from the outset, because we owe it to each and everyone of them to finish things off here at home in style. We need to give them that spark that ignites them into something special.”
Team news for the Chiefs sees Jonny Gray replace fellow Scottish international Skinner in the second-row, while the absence of Ewers means Jannes Kirsten switches to blindside flank with Richard Capstick handed the No.7 jersey after an impressive cameo off the bench last week.
In the back division, the sole change sees Jack Nowell return from his knee injury to take over at full-back from Stuart Hogg, who is named on the benchalongside the addition of Don Armand.
EXETER CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE SALE SHARKS
15 Jack Nowell
14 Alex Cuthbert
13 Henry Slade
12 Ollie Devoto
|11 Tom O’Flaherty
10 Joe Simmonds (capt)
9 Jack Maunder
1 Alec Hepburn
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie
3 Harry Williams
4 Jonny Gray
5 Jonny Hill
6 Jannes Kirsten
7 Richard Capstick
8 Sam Simmonds
16 Jack Yeandle
17 Ben Moon
18 Marcus Street
19 Sean Lonsdale
20 Don Armand
21 Stu Townsend
22 Harvey Skinner
23 Stuart Hogg