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Rieko Ioane opens up on questioning whether his All Blacks career was over
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Rob Baxter's wish for the run-in as big guns return for Exeter
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Exeter boss Rob Baxter is ready to unleash three of his big guns on Munster as the Chiefs look to claim a place in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who has scored nine tries for the Chiefs this season, has been out of action since damaging a hamstring in February, but is back in full training and has been cleared to return to action.
Meanwhile, Henry Slade, who missed the Gallagher PREM win over Newcastle Red Bulls last weekend because his wife, Megan, was giving birth, and Dafydd Jenkins, who had to undergo a mandatory week’s rest after taking part in Wales Six Nations campaign, will be back.
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Tight-head Ehren Painter, who last played in a Champions Cup defeat to Toulouse in December 2024 after suffering a horrific ACL injury, will also be available to face Munster, who have just suffered back-to-back URC defeats in South Africa and appear to be there for the taking.
“Daf’s (Jenkins) back from his rest week after the Six Nations, Henry Slade’s back in full training and available this week following the birth of his daughter, and Manny (Feyi-Waboso) is in full training and available now.
“So that’s a nice addition to our back-three stocks. He was pretty much in full training last week. He’s in full training this week, so that makes him available to play.
“He’s a pretty switched-on young man. Things happen in rugby. You get on with it and use your down periods to improve yourself and work on the little bits you can, and try to make yourself more robust,” Baxter said.
Baxter says that his star Wallaby outside centre Len Ikitau is out on the training pitch, but it will be another two or three weeks before he returns to action after a shoulder injury, and he is hoping they are finally having some luck with injuries.
“We haven’t had a great deal of luck this season, but if we could have our little bit of luck now on injuries and get through the next few weeks with this squad intact, we could end up running into the last third of the season with our kind of strongest group players.
“And that obviously allows us to try and really put our foot down and push for what we might achieve this season because obviously the more good players, you have available, the more opportunities you have, the more options you have,” he added.
