Baxter able to name strong side for Champions Cup quarter-final

DOMESTIC matters will be put on the back burner for a week at least for Exeter Chiefs as they focus their attentions towards tomorrow’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final at home to Northampton Saints (5.30pm).

Having produced a highly impressive return to action since the restart – the Devonians have won six of their seven Gallagher Premiership fixtures – director of rugby Rob Baxter is now looking for his in-form side to maintain their quest for honours on the European stage.

The Chiefs have reached this stage of the competition just once before, but hopes are high that they can advance into unchartered waters.

“We’ve been looking forward to this game for a while,” said Baxter. “As I’ve said to the players this week, this should be our biggest game of the season so far and that they should be getting ready to put in their biggest performance of the season”

Having utilised his squad to the full in recent weeks, Baxter, as expected, turns to his frontline team for tomorrow’s showdown against a Saints outfit which has lost six of their last seven fixtures.

“We’re well prepared and the form we have shown in the Premiership and in Europe indicate that but, at the end of the day, this weekend it still come down to knockout rugby.

“In our last European quarter-final [against Wasps], we played exceptionally well on the day – and we came up as close as you’re ever going to get to winning a game, only to concede a conversion in the last seconds of the game.

“Right now, I think we’re getting there. We’ve got a fit squad, we’re in decent form, training has gone well but, in the back of your mind, it’s still a one-off game.

“What we have to do at the weekend is make sure we get everything we can do right and correct – and that we focus fully on ourselves and not let anything distract us.”

While the Chiefs are virtually at fullstrength, the Saints have endured various injury problems, most notably in the loosehead prop area. Earlier this week the club was granted special dispensation to bring in Alex Seville from Gloucester to help ease the problems.

Team news for the Chiefs sees Baxter go with a full-loaded line-up, which includes Ian Whitten in the centre. The Irishman is set to feature in his 50th Champions Cup fixture and will be joined in the back division by the fit-again Tom O’Flaherty.