Chiefs side to face Gloucester

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter insists it's got to the stage of the season where nothing less than wins do for his side in their quest to reach the top six of the Aviva Premiership.

A hefty 45-15 loss at Leicester Tigers last Sunday has left Devon's finest with plenty to do between now and the end of the season, especially if they want to be part of the new-look top tier of European rugby.

After the euphoria of lifting the LV= Cup on their own turf a fortnight ago, the Chiefs were brought crashing back to down to earth with a bang by the Tigers at Welford Road. The ten-times champions are well versed in dealing with landing big prizes on a regular basis and then following it up a week later with an equally performance.

For the Chiefs, however, it was certainly new territory and Baxter says having been given a 'cold shower' against the defending Premiership champions, the defeat has acted as a timely wake-up call for his squad ahead of tomorrow's visit of Gloucester to Sandy Park (3pm).

"It was definitely a wake-up call for us," said Baxter. "I've said to the guys this week 'come on and let's get our feet back on the ground'. The LV= Cup was fantastic for us and yes we should enjoy it and we should remember it.

"At the same time, we need to remember there are still some very important games left for us. There are only five games left and sometimes we forget that. We look at seasons and it's all about the rugby, yet there are only a handful of games left in this one and then it will be gone.

"We have talked this week about making the most of every minute in every game between now and the end of the season. We think we have a nice run-in with three games at home and two away, and we're more than confident that we're back on track.

"Yes, we're aware Gloucester are a good side and that they've scored a lot of points in the last couple of weeks. They are like us, they like the sun on their backs and the firm grounds, and we've had some cracking fixtures with them over the years.

"As I said, we know they are dangerous, so we have to be firing at our best to get a result against them."

Ahead of kick-off, Baxter has made two changes to his starting line-up from that which lost at Leicester. In the pack, Ben White misses out because of a bang taken in that game, so Tom Johnson comes into the back-row.

Meanwhile, Johnson's England team-mate, Jack Nowell, is also set to sit out the action due to a shoulder injury sustained when he tried to tackle Leicester's powerhouse prop Logovii Muilpola. His place on the wing is filled by the recalled Matt Jess.

On the bench, Johnson's elevation means there is a return to first team duty for the experienced James Scaysbrook, while Sam Hill is also back following a spell out with a hamstring injury to fill the void vacated by Jess.

With personnel in place and Baxter having gone through a detailed review of Exeter's video nasty from last time out, the Chiefs leader is hopeful that a packed Sandy Park crowd will bring the best out of his troops ahead of this latest battle.

"As a team we were a bit zombified last week," he said. "There were players with Exeter Chiefs names and numbers on, but there weren't too many Exeter Chiefs out there if you know what I mean.

"We were OK in parts and there were bits of the game that went well for us, but going to Leicester you have to be right at the top end of our game and competitive and sadly we were neither.

"I'm expecting a response from our guys this week and I'm expecting them to put in a big performance, just as they did against Gloucester earlier in the season. A bit like we did last week, they'll look to reintegrate their England boys back into the fold, but we're at home; we're in front of our crowd; it's a sell-out and the atmosphere should be fantastic, so it's up to us to go out and put on a show."

Pictures: Exeter Rugby Club/Pinnacle Photo Agency