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.
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.
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
No Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
3 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
5 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
5 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
18 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
54 Go to comments