Chiefs side to face Tigers
By Mark Stevens
17/9/21
The waiting is finally over; another season of top-flight rugby awaits.
For Rob Baxter and his Exeter Chiefs squad, the hurt of last season’s Gallagher Premiership Final loss has meant the summer has dragged on a little longer than they would have hoped.
Now, they return to action tomorrow at Leicester Tigers determined to get back on track and maintain their status as one of English Rugby’s leading lights.
“We’re looking forward to it,” said a defiant Baxter this week. “Sometimes you just have to get on with stuff. It feels a long time since losing the final – and when the last game you play you lose, you are always going to be disappointed. Now, we’re ready to get back and start playing again.
“We’ve talked about things, including the final, and we’ve set ourselves some simple targets, not just about what we want from this weekend’s game, but what we want from the next four games. We won’t look too far ahead of that, but what I do expect this weekend is a good, typical, hard-working Exeter Chiefs performance.”
In what was another impressive season for Devon’s finest last term, they ultimately came within a whisker of securing back-to-back Premiership titles.
Although they just missed out – and Baxter knows the reasons why they did – the foundations at Sandy Park remain as solid as ever and he has challenged his players to ‘go again’ and prove their worth against their domestic rivals.
“Personally, I need to put the end of last season to bed a little,” added the Chiefs’ Director of Rugby. “And I will talk to the players this week and tell them we need to now leave that behind us and move on.
“For all of us, it’s important to have motivations – I will have them in all kinds of different ways – and the players will also have them in their own ways. What we need to do is zone down what all of that looks like; how we achieve it; and how we will start that against Leicester this weekend.”
In what will be a testing first assignment of the season for the Chiefs, Baxter says returning to a Welford Road, packed full of supporters, will offer a challenge itself.
“Going to empty grounds during the whole lockdown period was odd, but I think Leicester was probably the most-strangest, just because you are so used to going there and experiencing a full house and a very partisan crowd,” said Baxter.
“Looking to this weekend, I think it’s a great challenge for us, not just because we will be challenged by the place itself, but also by a team who are clearly looking to be ambitious and do things themselves this season. In a lot of ways, I think it’s just what we need first up.
“Leicester, we know, are a top side. Looking at them this week, they look solid and they looked well-drilled. That said, we d0n’t quite know what they will bring. With the new laws, the fact there is no relegation this season, I don’t think any of us know what type of rugby that will create.
“For us, all we can really do at this stage is concentrate on ourselves, make sure we get our bits and pieces in order and really go out and work hard in what will be a tough game of Premiership rugby. If we win, then we will have deserved to win. If we don’t, it’s probably because we haven’t deserved to win.”
The Chiefs come into the game minus a number of key names due to injury and unavailability due to late returns from the British & Irish Lions tour. However, it’s still a pretty potent mix of talent that Baxter has on offer, including the return this week of England centre Henry Slade.
Exeter’s pack is unchanged from that which started last week’s pre-season friendly against Munster, meaning there is a golden opportunity for the likes of Jack Innard, Will Witty and Rus Tuima to once again shine.
Behind, the sole change sees Slade given the nod in the 13 shirt ahead of Tom Hendrickson, who is named amongst the replacements, alongside Sam Nixon, Ryan McCauley and Christ Tshiunza, all of whom are poised to make their first-ever Premiership appearances for the club.
Although defeated against the Irishmen a week ago, Baxter insisted he saw plenty to give him encouragement ahead of the new season.
“On the whole there were a lot of good things to come out of that game,” he continued. “What we talked this week about are a couple of issues – like being more clinical around our finishing and also our line-out, which did malfunction a little bit. Other than that, I liked a lot of what I saw and now it’s up to us to go out and deliver.”
