Match Preview: Exeter Chiefs

• 21 Nov 2019

A trip to the south coast of England awaits Glasgow Warriors this weekend, as Dave Rennie and his side travel to Sandy Park to take on Exeter Chiefs.

With both
sides having claimed victory in their opening matches of the 2019/20 Heineken
Champions Cup, Saturday’s fixture will be a top-of-the-table clash between last
year’s beaten finalists in the English Premiership and Guinness PRO14.

An Exeter
side packed with star power – as well as a familiar face to the Warrior Nation
– lies in wait for Rennie’s men, as they look to continue their pursuit of only
their second-ever Champions Cup quarter-final.

Yet with the
Warrior Nation set to make themselves heard in Devon, the stage is set for what
could be a thrilling affair.

Here’s how
Exeter are shaping up ahead of Saturday’s encounter:

Exeter
Chiefs Form Guide

Rob Baxter’s
squad currently sit atop Pool Two of the Heineken Champions Cup after their
round one success in La Rochelle, whilst their record of two wins from their
four Premiership matches to date is good enough for fifth place in the
fledgling table.

17 points
from the boot of Joe Simmonds guided the Sandy Park side to a 22-17 victory
over Harlequins in their opening match of the Premiership campaign, before
suffering a 13-10 defeat in dreadful conditions against Bath at the Rec.

Baxter’s men
bounced back to record a 24-20 win over Worcester Warriors at Sixways in round
three, yet a last-gasp try from Dan Thomas saw Bristol Bears deny Exeter
back-to-back victories in their final match before the European break.

Undeterred,
the men from Devon made a statement in their opening match of the Heineken
Champions Cup. Four tries – including an eye-catching interception from Henry
Slade – secured a bonus-point victory against La Rochelle at the Stade Marcel
Deflandre, taking them into this weekend’s match on top of the pile.

Off-season
farewells

After a
season that saw them come within touching distance of the Premiership title,
Exeter fans said goodbye to a host of favourite sons over the course of the
summer.

Argentinian
international Santiago Cordero was the highest-profile departure from Sandy
Park following the defeat to Saracens, with the winger joining Bordeaux-Begles ahead
of the 2019/20 season.

Former
Glasgow prop Moray Low also departed the club – and the sport – as he hung up
his boots for the final time, whilst academy graduates Toby Salmon and Tom
Lawday joined Newcastle Falcons and Harlequins respectively.

New
arrivals

Glasgow Warriors
supporters will be all too aware of Exeter’s marquee summer signing, after
Stuart Hogg penned a two-year deal with the Sandy Park outfit.

The Scotland
full-back was joined amongst the fresh faces on the south coast by a brace of
hard-carrying South African forwards, with Jannes Kirsten and Jacques Vermeulen
arriving from Super Rugby.

Highly-rated
second-rower Will Witty also linked up with Baxter’s men ahead of the new
campaign, making the journey south from Newcastle Falcons.

Ones to
watch

It’s almost
certain that all eyes from the travelling Warriors supporters will be trained
on Hogg at some point over the course of the 80 minutes on Saturday. The
Glasgow centurion’s blend of acceleration and footwork keeps every defence in
world rugby on it’s toes, whilst his cannon-like boot is equally capable of
keeping the scoreboard ticking over as it is pinning opponents in their own
territory.

One of the
stars of England’s run to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, Slade has built a
reputation as one of the smoothest midfield operators in the business. Still
just 26, the centre’s handling ability and rugby intelligence makes him a key
cog in the Exeter machine.

When a
back-rower scores 12 tries in a season, people tend to sit up and take notice.
That’s exactly what Sam Simmonds achieved in 2017/18, and the number eight
continues to pose a dynamic threat off the base of the scrum with his pace and
ball-carrying ability.

Previous
Encounters

Glasgow and
Exeter are relatively familiar foes in European competition, having been drawn
together in the pool stages of the competition on two previous occasions.

Each side
won their respective home match in the 2017/18 season, with Exeter claiming a
24-15 victory over the Warriors at Sandy Park back in October 2017.

Rennie’s
side exacted a measure of revenge in the return fixture, however – try-of-the-season
contenders from Hogg, Tommy Seymour and Matt Fagerson, combined with a penalty
try, gave the Warriors a bonus-point 28-21 win at Scotstoun in January 2018.

It was a
different story back in the 2013/14 campaign, when a Gregor Townsend-led
Glasgow side did the double over their English opponents.

Tries from
Tim Swinson and Tyrone Holmes saw the Warriors claim a 20-15 win at Scotstoun
in October 2013, before Sean Lamont and Sean Maitland touched down in a 15-10
victory at Sandy Park three months later.

Match Officials

Pascal
Gauzere will be the man with the whistle on Saturday afternoon, having most
recently refereed the Warriors in their pool defeat to Saracens at Allianz Park
last season.

Maxime
Chalon and Jonathan Dufort will be his assistants at Sandy Park, with Eric
Gauzins acting as TMO.

Broadcast
Information

Glasgow
Warriors supporters not making the trip to Exeter can watch the match live on
BT Sport 2 and BT Sport Ultimate on Saturday afternoon, as well as following
our live match centre at glasgowwarriors.org. Kick-off is at 3.15pm.