Rob Baxter changes his stance on Saracens rivalry

For a good while Exeter did not attempt to hide their dislike for Saracens, primarily over the salary cap breach which they felt cost them league titles.

Even before this season’s first game between the two clubs who once dominated Premiership and European rugby, their Director of Rugby Rob Baxter opined: “Is there a team that we would prefer to beat than Saracens? Probably not.”

But fast-forward four months from that game – a 29-14 victory for Saracens at the StoneX – and Baxter’s pre-match rhetoric has taken a different tone.

Baxter doesn’t want his players to focus on any past battles between the two sides, instead, he wants their focus to be on the chance to secure points and put themselves in a position to make up some of the 15-point deficit between themselves and Northampton, the side immediately above them in eighth.

“This weekend is a hugely important game for us as, without doubt, we need to collect Premiership points. It’s an opportunity for us as Saracens are going to be missing more internationals than we are. We’re at home as well, which is where our best performances and best wins have been,” he said.

“The rivalry between our two clubs is very different now. We’re not rivals fighting it out at the top of the table currently – we’re at the bottom of the table fighting it out for wins.

“I think for years it was fantastic for the Premiership that we were prepared to stand there and say ‘Yes, there’s a big rivalry and we don’t like it’ but that top-end rivalry right now has to be between different clubs until we get ourselves back there.

“Right here and now, it’s just a game that gives us an opportunity to collect some very valuable points, and that’s how we’re approaching it.”

Chiefs scrum-half Stu Townsend will become the latest Exeter Chiefs centurion having been handed the No 9 jersey. Another notable selection is Dafydd Jenkins, who has returned from Wales’ training camp to lead the side at lock.