Exeter Chiefs name side to face Worcester
European exploits are all well and good for the Exeter Chiefs, but assistant coach Ali Hepher insists the club's focus remains firmly focused on the 'bread and butter' of the Aviva Premiership.
After Heineken Cup assignments against Cardiff Blues and Glasgow Warriors, next up for the Devon club is today's league clash again bottom club Worcester Warriors at Sandy Park (3pm).
Hepher knows the importance of the clash, particularly as the visitors have yet to win this season, and says the Chiefs coaching staff have spent all week underlining the threat posed by the Midlanders.
"You only have to look at Worcester's squad and you can see that it has quality running right through it," said Hepher. "I've no doubt they will come through and win games, there is no question about that, but our prep has been perfect this week and we've put in a lot of hours looking at them.
"We've made sure we are fully prepared for the weekend and the messages we have been giving the players is that we have to be right on top of our game to get any kind of result this week."
With just six days to turnaround following their narrow loss in Scotland, Hepher insists switching from European action back into the cut and thrust of English rugby's top flight remains relatively easy.
"It's pretty easy to switch back, but our priority has always been the Premiership," added Hepher. "The Heineken Cup has been a real bonus for us, we've put in two cracking performances, but equally we know the Premiership is our bread and butter. For us it's exciting to get back into it and there are good opportunities within the league - that if we put in a couple of good performances over these next few weeks - we can really push up the table."
Ahead of kick-off the Chiefs have made three changes to their starting line-up with Brett Sturgess returning at loosehead in place of Ben Moon; Jack Yeandle gets the nod at hooker over Chris Whitehead and Fetu'u Vainikolo takes over on the wing from Ian Whitten, who is nursing a hamstring pulled sustained in the first half against Glasgow. Vainikolo's promotion from the bench means that Welshman Tom James is recalled to first team duty having recovered from an ankle injury sustained a fortnight ago.
For the Warriors, they will arrive in town with a handful of former Chiefs within their ranks. Ignacio Mieres, Josh Matavesi, John Andress, Josh Drauniniu and Danny Gray have all previously pulled on the Exeter jersey and their knowledge of Chiefs life will ensure Dean Ryan's side will themselves be prepared for battle.
"As I said, they have threats right across the board," warned Hepher. "They've got guys coming back from international duty with Argentina, they have some big ball carriers up front, whilst behind they have pace on the wings and at full-back. We know they can play for sure, so it's up to us to guarantee we have our systems in place to deal with whatever they throw at us, whilst at the same time impose our own game plan on them."
Certainly the Chiefs faithful will be hoping for a repeat of Exeter's last home outing when they saw off a star-studded Blues line-up 44-29 to claim maximum reward in their opening Heineken Cup game of the season.
And whilst Hepher insists no benchmarks have been set from that display, nor the week previous away to Gloucester, the Chiefs are well aware of what they can do if everything goes to plan.
"We don't really look for benchmarks," said Hepher. "Instead we know what we are capable of and recent games have certainly shown that.
"For us to perform like that depends not only on the opposition, but also the conditions on the day, so whatever we are given on Saturday we will take and we will look to adjust our tactics accordingly. It's a different week again for us, but we'll play the way which we hope will give us the best chance of victory."
Tickets for tomorrow's game are still available online through the Chiefs official website or the Trading Post.
15 Phil Dollman
14 Fetu'u Vainikolo
13 Jason Shoemark
12 Sam Hill
11 Matt Jess
10 Gareth Steenson
9 Dave Lewis
1 Brett Sturgess
2 Jack Yeandle
3 Hoani Tui
4 Dean Mumm (capt)
5 Damian Welch
6 Tom Johnson
7 Ben White
8 Dave Ewers
16 Chris Whitehead
17 Ben Moon
18 Alex Brown
19 Don Armand
20 Kai Horstmann
21 Haydn Thomas
22 Henry Slade
23 Tom James
