Picture: Exeter Rugby Club / Pinnacle Photo Agency

Chiefs confirm 2013/14 Fixtures

Exeter Chiefs will kick-off the 2013/14 Aviva Premiership season with a trip to Northampton Saints on Saturday 7 September (3pm).

The new fixtures were officially launched today in London at the BT Tower by former England skipper Lawrence Dallaglio, who will form part of the new BT Sport Channel that has exclusive rights to all televised top flight action.

Exeter's first home game of the season will come a week later when they entertain London Wasps (14 Sept, 3pm).

With TV picks confirmed for the first seven rounds of the new campaign, the Chiefs will be screened live on BT Sport for the first time when they welcome Leicester Tigers to Sandy Park on Sunday, September 29 (2pm) - and they will be live again the following week when they make the trip to Gloucester on Sunday, October 6 (2pm).

As well as these fixtures, it has been confirmed that the Chiefs will also be featuring in ‘Big Game 6′ when they travel to Twickenham to face Harlequins on December 28.

Commenting on the launch of the new fixtures, Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter said: "As a squad we're very much looking forward to the new season. It's a bit like every year, you look at the fixtures and you say 'oooh, that's a tough old start' - but then you kind of remind yourself that's the case every year and that there are no easy games in the Premiership.

"You can sit there and say 'we'd like a nice easy start' because in reality every team is so competitive at this level and going to Northampton on the opening day will be a real challenge for us. They have a decent home record, they had a decent record against us last season, but sometimes it's good to have a game like this, against a top four side, because it really helps to focus the minds on what pre-season is all about.

"It's a tough start, but that's what you expect from being in the Premiership. Going to Northampton we know will be a big, physical challenge, but it's the right fixture to focus our minds and make us realise we have a lot of hard work to do this pre-season if we are to keep progressing as a Premiership side.

"In the past we've tended to start seasons well and got up and running quite quickly, but from our perspective the main thing we can do is focus on ourselves and this opening block of fixtures really gives us that focus."

EXETER CHIEFS FIXTURES 2013/14

SEPTEMBER

7 Northampton Saints (A)

14 London Wasps (H)

21 London Irish (A)

29 Leicester Tigers (H)

OCTOBER

6 Gloucester (A)

12 Heineken Cup Round 1

19 Heineken Cup Round 2

26 Worcester Warriors (H)

NOVEMBER

1 Sale Sharks (A)

9 LV= Cup Round 1

16 LV= Cup Round 2

23 Saracens (H)

30 Bath (A)

DECEMBER

7 Heineken Cup Round 3

14 Heineken Cup Round 4

21 Newcastle Falcons (H)

28 Harlequins (A)

JANUARY

4 London Wasps (A)

11 Heineken Cup Round 5

18 Heineken Cup Round 6

25 LV= Cup Round 3

FEBRUARY

1 LV= Cup Round 4

8 Northampton Saints (H)

15 Bath (H)

22 Saracens (A)

MARCH

1 London Irish (A)

8 LV= Cup Semi-Finals

15 LV= Cup Final

22 Leicester Tigers (A)

29 Gloucester (H)

APRIL

5 Heineken Cup Quarter-Finals

12 Worcester Warriors (A)

19 Sale Sharks (H)

26 Heineken Cup Semi-Finals

MAY

3 Harlequins (H)

10 Newcastle Falcons (A)

17 Aviva Premiership Semi-Finals

24 Heineken Cup Final

31 Aviva Premiership Final