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Recap: Exeter vs Bristol LIVE | Gallagher Premiership
Follow all the action on the RugbyPass live blog from the Gallagher Premiership match between Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Bears at Sandy Park.
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Ahead of the Sunday 3.0pm kick-off, Rob Baxter has been buoyed by the return of four more of his Chiefs following the culmination of the World Cup.
Welshman Tomas Francis is back nursing a shoulder injury sustained in the semi-final against South Africa, while English trio Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jack Nowell and Henry Slade are just nursing the wounds of narrowly missing out on lifting the William Webb Ellis Cup.
All three, however, will get the chance to get back into the rugby groove immediately as Baxter has thrust them all into his match-day squad. Slade will start in the centre alongside Sam Hill, while Cornish pair Cowan-Dickie and Nowell are named among the replacements.
(Continue reading below…)
Other changes to the Chiefs line-up from last weekend’s 24-20 win on the road at Worcester Warriors see Jannes Kirsten come into the second row in place of Dave Dennis, who has a foot injury.
Sam Simmonds is back at No8, so the back row is re-jigged with Dave Ewers the man to miss out on this occasion. Behind the scrum, Aussie Nic White comes in for his first start of the season, while summer signing Stuart Hogg is poised to make his Sandy Park bow for the Chiefs, having featured twice already on the road against Bath and Worcester.
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Alongside Cowan-Dickie and Nowell, there is also a welcome return to first-team duties for Don Armand, who has yet to feature this term following summer surgery.
'I just sat in front of all the players and said ‘what do you think of all this salary cap stuff?’ https://t.co/pKeeo1IvP9
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 9, 2019
“Gone are the days now when you under-estimate the threat of a promoted side,” warned Baxter. “We, better than a lot of clubs, appreciate where we have come from and we have always given Bristol an awful lot of credit for what they have done.
“It’s probably what has allowed us to get the results we have needed – and we certainly haven’t gone into any of those games lightly. They have been battles every single time and we’re expecting a similar thing this weekend.”
Bristol, meanwhile, have Harry Randall lined up for his first start of the Premiership campaign as Bristol. The scrum-half is one of three changes to Pat Lam’s side following last weekend’s win over Sale. Harry Thacker is the only change to the pack, while Will Hurrell comes into the midfield with Piers O’Conor switching to the wing.
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Player welfare is a delicate subject post-World Cup, especially with Exeter selecting the way they have for their Premiership match next Sundayhttps://t.co/JdeEO4zMRx
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 8, 2019
Director of rugby Lam said: “The need to be right physically for these sort of games is critical. Last year, we played them three times and we were all within one score – and it’s the little things done well that make the difference.
“This is close to an international. They are really big games. You can do things perfectly nine times out of ten, but it’s that one mistake that can cost you the match and that is a good challenge for the growth of this team.”
England under-20s hooker Will Capon and winger Toby Fricker are listed among the replacements and could make their Premiership debuts for Bristol if they feature.
EXETER: Stuart Hogg; Tom O’Flaherty, Henry Slade, Sam Hill, Alex Cuthbert; Joe Simmonds, Nic White; Alec Hepburn, Jack Yeandle (capt), Harry Williams, Jannes Kirsten, Jonny Hill, Jacques Vermeulen, Matt Kvesic, Sam Simmonds. Reps: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Billy Keast, Marcus Street, Sean Lonsdale, Don Armand, Jack Maunder, Gareth Steenson, Jack Nowell.
BRISTOL: Charles Piutau; Luke Morahan, Will Hurrell, Siale Piutau, Piers O’Conor; Callum Sheedy, Harry Randall; Jake Woolmore, Harry Thacker, John Afoa, Dave Attwood, Chris Vui, Steven Luatua (capt), Jake Heenan, Nathan Hughes. Reps: Will Capon, Yann Thomas, Lewis Thiede, Ed Holmes, Dan Thomas, Andy Uren, Ioan Lloyd, Toby Fricker.
WATCH: The Bear Pit, the 2018/19 RugbyPass pre-season documentary with Bristol Bears
Comments on RugbyPass
The game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
37 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
37 Go to comments