Chiefs name side for Gloucester clash

Exeter Chiefs have named their side to take on Gloucester in Round Nine of the Gallagher Premiership on Sunday, their final match of the calendar year.

After a tough pre-Christmas defeat to Sale Sharks, the Chiefs will be hoping to turn things around in front of a sold-out Sandy Park, while Gloucester come into the match on a high, having shut out Harlequins 0-0 at Kingsholm for the first time in a decade.

Rob Baxter has made several changes to his 23-man squad, with adjustments across the pitch.

The front row remains unchanged, with Scott Sio at loosehead, Dan Frost at hooker, and Marcus Street at tighthead. Richard Capstick returns to the starting line-up, joining Dafydd Jenkins in the second row, while Jacques Vermeulen rotates back in to join Ethan Roots and Greg Fisilau in the back row.

The half-back pairing stays the same with Stu Townsend and Henry Slade continuing in their respective positions, and Tamati Tua and Ben Hammersley maintain their place in the centres.

However, there is a reshuffle in the back three as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso misses out after taking a knock to the shoulder in the Sale game. Tommy Wyatt and Olly Woodburn will start on the wings, with Josh Hodge returning to full back.

Director of Rugby Rob Baxter has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to turn their fortunes around, believing they are just one performance away from a positive result.

“I look at this group, look at how they train and their attitude towards wanting to get on with things and I’ve got confidence before every game,” Baxter said. “I’ve felt that before every game we’ve played this season. I’ve never once gone into a game thinking ‘this is it, there’s no chance of us winning’. We are only a performance away from feeling very different about our season. Will it be this week? I certainly hope so. Will we put things in place to try to help it happen this week? We certainly will.”

Baxter also previewed the challenge posed by Gloucester, noting their strong set-piece game and their ability to get comfortable with their style of play. “Gloucester have had a good season. They seem to have gotten comfortable with how they’re playing pretty quickly. They still back their set-piece game to finish things off, so the challenge for us is not to get caught up in thinking the game is going to be an end-to-end tennis match.”

On the bench, Jack Innard provides cover for hooker, with Will Goodrick-Clarke and Josh Iosefa-Scott offering depth in the prop positions.

Franco Molina and Ross Vintcent are available for second and back-row duties, while Tom Cairns returns to the matchday squad, joining Will Haydon-Wood and Zack Wimbush as back-line replacements.

With a lot to play for, the Chiefs will be looking to end the year on a high and put together a performance that can kickstart their season into the new year.