CHIEFS READY TO DO BATTLE FOR THE CUP

JACK Nowell’s return is one of two changes that the Exeter Chiefs have made to the starting XV ahead of this afternoon’s European Champions Cup final against Racing 92 at Ashton Gate in Bristol (4.45pm (4.45pm).

The 27-year-old Cornishman returns to the side along with Irishma Irishman Ian Whitten, with Ollie Devoto dropping to the bench from th the team that beat Bath in last w week’s Premiership play-off semi-final sem hammering of Bath.

ThTh That means there is no pla place in the squad for the unf unfortunate Olly Woodburn, who wh had performed so well in last week’s win before cram cramping up in the latter stages of t the game.

ThThe The return r of England international N Nowell is a huge boost for the Chie Chiefs, though, as they look to become champions of Europe for the firs first time in their history, against a star-studded Racing side that are hoping it is a case of third time lucky, having lost previous finals in both 2016 and 2018.

Chiefs overcame another to French club in Toulouse with a sensational performance to reach today’s final and director of rugby Rob Baxter hopes that display will give the players confidence that they are more than good enough to bring down Europe’s top clubs.

“I think that was very important for us because I think it proved a couple of things,” he said. “It proved we could put together an effective game plan – you will have heard me talk about an 80 minute game plan – and we stuck to that absolutely fantastically well as a team despite weathering quite a lot of moments of pressure.

“Hopefully, that will give us that faith and confidence that that’s how the game will be. We will have some moments and momentum built from the opposition and you have to withstand that, stick at it and fight, you have to weather those storms and fight it back your way.

“Again, that was one of those games that you need to learn from and to learn how to win the next big game you come to and hopefully some of those lessons will help us this weekend.”

This Racing side are packed with international stars and many believe key to beating them will be how the Chiefs handle their Scottish international fly-half Finn Russell.

The 27-year-old is very much the heartbeat for Racing, but Baxter says it is vitally important his side don’t focus all their energy in combating the threats of one man, with other skilled players across the backline.

“It was the same question a few weeks ago but with (Toulouse fly-half) Cheslin Kolbe, wasn’t it? We talked then about how we control him as a team and that is very much what we will do now,” Baxter said.

“It is not going to be a one-shot thing that’s going to help combat him. At the end of the day, he is a fly-half and all he needs is one quality ball and you can affect the quality of ball with how you work at the set piece, how you work at the break down, then you can put him under pressure with line speed or numbers. It is not going to come down to one or two areas.

“The thing is, all those areas are going to help us in other areas as well, the areas that help you put a fly-half under pressure are the areas you want to win to try and win a game of rugby anyway, so there is a reality. We are not completely zoned in on one guy.”

Nowell’s return to the side means that there are no fewer than seven players in the starting XV that have come through the club’s hugely successful Academy.

15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Tom O’Flaherty, 10 Joe Simmonds (c), 9 Jack Maunder. 1 Alec Hepburn, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Harry Williams, 4 Jonny Gray, 5 Jonny Hill, 6 Dave Ewers, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 8 Sam Simmonds. 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Jannes Kirsten, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Ollie Devoto.