Exeter Chiefs v Saracens

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Team news will be posted after 12pm Friday.

Sarries missing 11 players through injury, with a further 9 away on international duty this week. Meaning 20 first team players are missing.

If you guys can't beat us with the squad we are sending that is a serious worry!

Quote:

jimfitz12
Sarries missing 11 players through injury, with a further 9 away on international duty this week. Meaning 20 first team players are missing.
If you guys can't beat us with the squad we are sending that is a serious worry!

Couldn't agree more. What concerns me, as a Chiefs fan, is that we are now expected to win so I don't know if we can deal with that pressure.

Cueto wasn't in touch, at least in my dreams.

Quote:

jimfitz12
Sarries missing 11 players through injury, with a further 9 away on international duty this week. Meaning 20 first team players are missing.
If you guys can't beat us with the squad we are sending that is a serious worry!

No offence intended, jimfiz, but we couldn't afford keep most of our internationals, so there's little sympathy from here whilst we try to rebuild, at the same time fending off unsolicited poaching! I'm not suggesting we're lacking in talent, but as yet this season it just hasn't helped gor the full 80, mins.
Thanks for posting, and good luck ... but not too much! 😁

In Rob we trust.
By the way - cream on first. There's nothing to debate.

Quote:

jimfitz12
Sarries missing 11 players through injury, with a further 9 away on international duty this week. Meaning 20 first team players are missing.
If you guys can't beat us with the squad we are sending that is a serious worry!

No real arguments from me, we really should win this one easily.
Sarries don't have the strength in depth they used to, they have on occasion looked really poor this year when fielding a weakened 15.

As an aside I don't think any English side really has strength in depth now, as shown in Europe this year. This is partly due to financial reasons but also the lack of game time for those players on the fringes, a smaller fragmented league, which stops in international windows, and a lack of an A league really don't help. Sending players out on loan is ok but the standard below the premiership is not great.

I'll await the teams before I predict a Chiefs win!!

Agree big chief i feel this one is for the taken but will wait for the team announcement, A must win in my view or there could be consequences

Quote:

jimfitz12
Sarries missing 11 players through injury, with a further 9 away on international duty this week. Meaning 20 first team players are missing.
If you guys can't beat us with the squad we are sending that is a serious worry!

Thats quite enough underdogging for today, thank you!

Quote:

Big Chief Little Chief
As an aside I don't think any English side really has strength in depth now, as shown in Europe this year. This is partly due to financial reasons but also the lack of game time for those players on the fringes, a smaller fragmented league, which stops in international windows, and a lack of an A league really don't help. Sending players out on loan is ok but the standard below the premiership is not great.

Given the size of playing squads we've had in the past, and indeed still have compared to others, and the percentage of those that we've ever actually used in a game each season, could it be argued that we've had weakness in depth for too long?

Exeter Chiefs

15 Tommy Wyatt

14 Ben Hammersley

13 Joe Hawkins

12 Will Rigg

11 Paul Brown-Bampoe

10 Will Haydon-Wood

9 Stu Townsend

1 Scott Sio

2 Jack Innard

3 Josh Iosefa-Scott

4 Dafydd Jenkins (c)

5 Richard Capstick

6 Ethan Roots

7 Jacques Vermeulen

8 Greg Fisilau

Replacements:

16 Dan Frost

17 Kwenzo Blose

18 Marcus Street

19 Rusi Tuima

20 Franco Molina

21 Tom Cairns

22 Harvey Skinner

23 Zack Wimbush

Looks like a fairly sensible team selection to me, so I’m going to stick with my mindless optimism and go for:

Chiefs 31, Sarries 26

I look forward to maintaining my position at the bottom of the league…

Saracens

1 Phil Brantingham

2 Kapeli Pifeleti

3 Fraser Balmain

4 Harry Wilson

5 Hugh Tizard

6 Max Eke

7 Nathan Michelow

8 Juan Martin Gonzalez

9 Ivan van Zyl (c)

10 Louie Johnson

11 Brandon Jackson

12 Olly Hartley

13 Alex Lozowski

14 Tobias Elliott

15 Liam Williams

Replacements:

16 James Hadfield

17 Eroni Mawi

18 Alec Clarey

19 Olamide Sodeke

20 Nick Tompkins

21 Gareth Simpson

22 Fergus Burke

23 Sam Spink

Match Officials

Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant Referees: Sara Cox and Gareth Holsgrove
TMO: Dan Jones

Weather Forecast as at 1200 Friday

Clear skies and light winds from the south
Temperature: 6 degrees will feel like 4 degrees
Precipitation is not expected

TV Coverage

Channel 409 TNT Sports 2 SD 1715-1945
Channel 431 TNT Sports 2 HD 1715-1945

No mugs in the Sarries set up - and an opportunity for new stars to shine

Let’s hope for better defence and attack where the ball is kept alive….

I’ll do my best as 16th man COYC

Almost as strong as we could go... the Capstick in the second row thing still baffles me when we've got Molina and Tuima.
Hammersley surely deserves a rest. He's been running into brick walls for us every week, seemingly comes off for a HIA most weeks, and then carries on.

Still some experience in key positions there for Sarries, Balmain, Tizzard, Gonzalez, Van Zyl, Lozowski, Williams, plus a few on the bench too, in what looks like a 4-4 split.

Heart says Chiefs, but... Chiefs 24 Sarries 28

Being positive:
Exeter 31 - 17 Saracens

As my earlier post above, 16 players missing and we have a centre covering our back row...

Anything but a Cheifs win would be an enormous shock and probably one of the best results in Sarries history.

I fear no man. But that Saracens bench...it scares me.

Aside from that, look at how many players are in position. I can't believe it!

If we let our talent play to their strengths, I can easily see us snatching this. No love lost between the two teams. The lads do not need a motivational speech to be up for this.

Heart over head (for the first time this season): Chiefs 29 - 22 Saracens.

#COYC

Cueto wasn't in touch, at least in my dreams.

Cold, possibly damp but not too much wind forecast. But under floodlights which causes potential issues for both sides. Suspect a close game and fairly low scoring.

Chiefs 21 Sarries 15

Chiefs 31-20 saracens

Could be close and holding out for a win!
Chiefs 27 - 23 Saracens



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:01:24:19:56:07 by Scottish Chief .

Heart over head Exe 27- 18 Sarries but I have been known to be wrong!

Can't make this one as will be down in Plymouth but looking forward to the catch up.

Going to lean towards optimism with that Sarries lineup. Chiefs 30 Sarries 25.

I have a feeling of impending disappointment, but nevertheless Chiefs 26 - 21 Sarries

Quote:

jimfitz12
As my earlier post above, 16 players missing and we have a centre covering our back row...
Anything but a Cheifs win would be an enormous shock and probably one of the best results in Sarries history.

Be serious! There isn't anyone on this forum or yours who thinks that it would be a shock, let alone an "enormous shock" if chiefs lose. And that's even before you check out the pundits and the bookies!

I admire the obvious wind up, but it isn't very subtle!

Nevertheless I'm sure that you're having fun and, partly to humour you, and partly because I cant bring myself to predict a home loss against Saracens, I predict a miserable, short tempered slugfest with 3 cards, atrocious refereeing and a narrow, cantankerous win for Ex. Chiefs 17 - 'Underdogs, missing even their kitman, 15.

Enormous shock - 🤣😅🤣😄😇

Chiefs 29 - 21 Salaries

A must win for the whole coaching team, never will we have faced such a changed up Sarries team before. Excluding Vincent from the squad (who scored an incredible individual try last week) and Frost from the starting 23 means that we will have little pace in the forwards which is bizarre as is playing a flanker in the second row instead of an international lock. I think Sarries will try and play a fast offloading game and capitalise on our lack of pace across the 23 and will score points so we will I think have to score 4 tries.

A game we should win.

Chiefs 31 Sarries 24

Got to click sometime Chiefs 30 Sarries 17. Strange to see the like of Burke and Tomkins on the bench given their injuries and lack of England internationals.

Chiefs 18 Sarries 17

Just think this is a win game never the less frost should be starting picking the score is pot luck but its chiefs 29 sarries 24

Sorry to say this but expectation triumphs over hope, Chiefs 21 Saracens 35.

For all that this is undoubtedly a weakened Sarries side, its worth noting that they are fielding 6 full internationals with a combined total of 146 caps in their starting XV.

Chiefs start with 3 ( Sio, Jenkins an Roots) with a total of 96 caps,

I didn't count the u20s caps or the benches but im pretty certain that they have the edge there too.

Pretending that they are underdogs is disingenuous.

I'm sorry but that is a seriously underpowered pack from sarries. We should win this through forward power alone, even with the ridiculous selection of a flanker in the second row again!

I'm normally on the pessimistic side but I would be hugely disappointed if we lost this, I would even put it as a worse result than losing away at Newcastle. They are having a bit of a form wobble, even with all the England players available. I can't see them suddenly finding form and playing some sort of offloading masterclass.

We beat a much stronger Gloucester side at home and ran a full strength-ish tigers side very close at welford road. We've not been that far away in most prem games, Europe being a different story!

I'm going Chiefs 42 Sarries 12 I really do believe we are playing a prem cup type side with pretty much our first team. I may be proved completely wrong but I'm not accepting excuses we should win this and well.

Quote:

Not Manichean
Pretending that they are underdogs is disingenuous.

+1 Ridiculous.

Anyway, heart over head ... not for the first time this year...
Chiefs 32: Salarysins 26

In Rob we trust.
By the way - cream on first. There's nothing to debate.

Why o why is Capstick starting at 5. Makes no sense to me. We should win this but I don't see our players being allowed to play to their strengths and hence I'm predicting a narrow loss in a close game. Chiefs 17 Salaries 22.

you could be right big chief little chief it could be one of those days and i would not write that scoreline off.

I just don’t have faith in our backs.

Sarries may be short of players but they still have a good team out.

Chiefs 19 Sarries 26

Bring the 50p coins for when the lights go out on the west grandstand! Surely you westies can have a whip round!!!!!

We need the win but if we do not start well..... Interpretations of ref at breakdown could be key - how many pens are we going to give up? Lots I fear Chiefs 25 Sarries 32.

Chiefs 24 Sarries 21

More in hope than expectation

Chiefs 27 Saracens 22

Chiefs 35 Sarries 15

How can we keep finding new ways to get worse week after week? That first half had not a single moment to redeem it and the pa has been turned up again plus the idiot announcer. FFS this is becoming unbearable…

Blimey, anyone watching this sxxt?
Glad to see all the training and prep for a depleted Sarries side is coming to fruition !!
Townsend having a mare as is Innard.

Is this the 'evolving' style??
Second half..change the blooming plan!;

Let's just hope the second half is better! That was as bad as I can ever remember seeing a chiefs side play! Error after error some truly brainless! We are clearly physically stronger than Sarries yet keep finding ways to gift them the ball! Oh also the music/pa/announcer are properly annoying!!

Yes, I'm watching it and you're right it is absolute sxxt. We're getting worse.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:01:25:18:34:31 by Chief Boldeagle.

Ten unforced errors in the first 8 minutes. And it didn't get better. Line out is an unmitigated disaster.

Let's hope Frosty livens it up.

PA almost louder than the radio commentators talking...

WHW has had a shocker, Bring back Harvey.

Try bonus point. That is very welcome!
Lets hope we keep playing rather than try and see this out.

Frost and Skinner should have started.

How was that a red card!!! If I was saracens player or supporter I’d feel hard done by



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:01:25:19:15:58 by Kainai.

We needed that. A massive confidence builder.

Quote:

Kainai
How was that a red card!!! If I was saracens player or supporter I’d feel hard done by

Really... Have you been watch any rugby in the last few years????

Very happy to be wrong with my prediction of Sarries win!
The full 5 points is a brilliant outcome from what was, for the most part, still a very patchy and error-strewn game.

Two months now until our next league game. Lets hope that those who've picked up injuries/knocks can get back to 100% ready for that, and we can have some good performances in the Premiership Cup.

Quote:

Kainai
How was that a red card!!! If I was saracens player or supporter I’d feel hard done by

You don't have to like them, but those are the laws.

Plenty thanks 😘

Chief Boldeagle must have been praying for Lozowski to miss that conversion at the end!

Ok, I concede I’m wrong, i’m a Dinosaur and need to read the rule book!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:01:25:20:31:11 by Kainai.

Quote:

Kainai
Ok, I concede I’m wrong, i’m a Dinosaur and need to read the rule book!

Im not sure that anyone likes to see those kind of red cards, but there have been dozens of them over the last two years or so, many far less obvious than that one. Most ex players and fans of a certain age are dinosaurs regarding those calls but brain damage prevention is an existential issue for the sport now.

Quote:

Not Manichean

Quote:

Kainai
Ok, I concede I’m wrong, i’m a Dinosaur and need to read the rule book!

Im not sure that anyone likes to see those kind of red cards, but there have been dozens of them over the last two years or so, many far less obvious than that one. Most ex players and fans of a certain age are dinosaurs regarding those calls but brain damage prevention is an existential issue for the sport now.

Especially in the current precautions financial position. Rugby is a class action from oblivion.

Thank you and goodbye. Mod, please delete my account, I will do it if I can.

Quote:

Kainai
Thank you and goodbye. Mod, please delete my account, I will do it if I can.

Kainai, please stick around, we all have differences of opinion at times, it’s what makes the forum interesting.

Quote:

Midlands_chief

Quote:

Kainai
How was that a red card!!! If I was saracens player or supporter I’d feel hard done by

Really... Have you been watch any rugby in the last few years????

I think Kainai must have had to many tackles to the head