Tiggers preview

A full house at Sandy Park, hungry for rugby will be looking to support the Chiefs in their Tiger hunt.

Exeter Chiefs v Leicester Tigers Jan 2^nd 2011

Well with the Bath game at the Rec postponed, this match brings the chiefs to the halfway point of our inaugural Premiership season.

It’s been a long hard fought battle, but there is as hard, if not harder a half still to come. We are in a good position at the half way point, hopefully this result will take us to where no-one had really dreamt we would be when we started the season back against Gloucester.

With 3 weeks off for most of the first team, come about as a result of 2 Amlin cup games, where most first team members were rested for at least 1 if not both matches, and that postponed game at Bath, the guys should be well and truly rested, and had a little time to enjoy the festivities. Hopefully by now, the guys will have reverted to their pre match build up and will be feeling as match hardened as they would have, had they not had 3 weeks off. I’m sure that whilst their bodies might have enjoyed the lay-off, most will be wishing that the break had not been so long. The Bath game would have been an ideal opportunity to get back into the swing of things.

Leicester have just come away from their break, having given strugglers Sale a good drubbing, even without their full team, due to having to rest some of their England squad players. The Tiggers still showed areas of weakness in that game, which I am sure Rob and Co will be working on this week, together with some other new weapons of their own up their sleeves. They might be in second place in the Prem, but they are definitely not firing on all cylinders, in all areas.

Although it is a hard one to call, I believe that Rob will announce a team very similar to the Sharks squad, but with the possible inclusion of Clarkie, if fit, Steeno and Phillips on the bench.

With Sandy Park packed to the gunnels I am hoping for the 16^th man to come into play, from the moment the guys leave the pitch after their warm up, and follow on throughout the match. This should be the finest atmosphere that we have experienced to date at Sandy Park. If we can scale up the noise we made at the Memorial stadium on the last day of last season, we’ll be heard across Exeter, and if we can link the ETS with the ETN, the North terrace, the Karrimor terrace, the West Grandstand, the Southwest terrace and the SW Telecoms stand, the Tiggas will have no where to hide.

The weather is expected to start to cool; down again for the 2^nd January, so you will all need to wrap up warm, but make sure you have lubricated your voice boxes because we need your voices.

Prediction:

Noisy, very noisy, tense and very very close. But I believe we can make up for the disappointment that we came away from Welford Road with, Sandy Park will remain a fortress, battered but not destroyed.

Chiefs! Chiefs! Chiefs!

Exeter, pride of Devon and the West Country!!

Happy New Year to one and all