Exeter Chiefs set for Scarlets test
Having put in the hard yards off the field during a gruelling pre-season programme, it's on-field matters that take centre stage for the Exeter Chiefs tomorrow as the countdown to the new season edges ever closer.
This weekend Rob Baxter's side travel to Wales to face Scarlets in their opening pre-season fixture at the Parc Y Scarlets (3pm).
It represents the first of three warm-up clashes for the Devon club - Bristol and Glasgow Warriors follow over the next two weeks – before they engage in their fourth season of Aviva Premiership action at Northampton Saints on Saturday, September 7.
As always it's a vital part of the club's seasonal plan and head coach Baxter is expecting his squad to showcase their talents against the Welsh region, who they tackled twice last season in the Heineken Cup.
"The guys are very aware every pre-season game is important, everyone's got an opportunity now to stake a claim for where they want to be for the first Premiership game of the season," said Baxter. "It does get exciting now, but I'm very aware you have to approach pre-season matches to make sure you get the most you can to review after the game.
"We know how we want to approach things, we know the combinations we want to look at in this first game, but we also know we've got two or three weeks to fine-tune things that aren't where we want them to be."
With a hanful of new recruits added into the mix during the close season, three of them - Tom James, Fetu'u Vainikolo and Ceri Sweeney – are included in the travelling squad for this first encounter. Fellow newcomers Don Armand, Dave Lewis and Greg Bateman are nursing knocks and will not be risked and neither will the likes of Sireli Naqelevuki, Hoani Tui and James Hanks.
For Sweeney and James in particular, not only will tomorrow's encounter offer them a swift return to the Principality, but it will also give them an early chance to stake their claim for a role within the Chiefs first team picture.
"The new guys want to play and want to show themselves," added Baxter. "Any player will tell you you need those games of rugby under your belt to really feel part of a club. It's great that we'll get everybody involved this weekend. We've got an exciting group of players and we want to be ambitious in the way we play, that's not going to change."
Leading the side for the first time tomorrow will be Australian international Dean Mumm, who has taken over the captaincy duties for the new season from fellow lock Tom Hayes.
CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE SCARLETS
15 Luke Arscott
14 Tom James
13 Ian Whitten
12 Jason Shoemark
11 Matt Jess
10 Gareth Steenson
9 Haydn Thomas
1 Brett Sturgess
2 Jack Yeandle
3 Carl Rimmer
4 Dean Mumm (capt)
5 Damian Welch
6 Dave Ewers
7 James Scaysbrook
8 Kai Horstmann
Replacements (from): Ben Moon, Chris Whitehead, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Craig Mitchell, Alex Brown, Tom Hayes, Will Carrick-Smith, Ben White, Tom Johnson, Sam Blanchet, Joel Conlon, James Phillips, Stu Townsend, Will Chudley, Henry Slade, Ceri Sweeney, Sam Hill, Fetu'u Vainikolo, Phil Dollman, Jack Nowell.
Words by Mark Stevens
