Rugby is a team sport – at least, it is after under 15s when
the freakishly over-developed kid with a full on beard and an overly aggressive
amount of testosterone gets reeled in by his peers when they finally
hit puberty. I'm not saying there's no
room for class individuals – guys like Jason Robinson, Shane Williams, Jonah
Lomu and Dan Carter are all capable of turning matches on their head with
isolated moments of genius, but the point is that they only get that chance to
shine because they are part of a team.
Guys who can provide their 'stars' with the space and spotlight to show
off their skills – and these are the players who win games and get next to no
credit.
When you like down the Gloucester teamsheet, your jaw
literally drops at the talent they have at their disposal. Sharples, May, Twelvetrees, Burns, Morgan,
Qera and Kalamafoni are all phenomenal players who are capable of setting games
on fire through their speed and power. Outwide, the Cherry and White's backline is so
quick that they make the Hadron Collider speeds seem pedestrian, whilst that
big backrow is explosive enough to require a warning sign before games – so why
is it they've struggled for consistency?
Well, perhaps it has something to do with that team aspect. I'm not saying by a long shot that Gloucester
are full of primadonnas, but when you have so much individual flair it can be
hard to stifle it for the benefit of the team – although, in the West Country
side's case, they also haven't been helped by inconsistency of selection due to
injuries. When these boys click, they
are almost unplayable – see the way they outclassed Leicester and Saracens at
Kingsholm – and are great to watch, but they have a habit of making a mountain
out of a molehill when they're not all singing from the same hymn sheet (such
as the week before their Saracens victory, when they where stuffed by Sale).
If you look through the Exeter ranks, on the other hand, you
don't suffer from that same sense of being overawed. With the exception possibly of the giant
Sireli Naqelevuki, there's not too many blokes who can break games open by
themselves – but when you combine like these guys do, who needs superstars? They've overcome a rough patch when they
weren't quite on song to win 5 of their last 6 games in the Premiership and get
them to within a whisker of European qualification, with only Bath able to
catch them in unlikely circumstances.
Their dismantling of Wasps in the last round was sensational in the way
that they picked out weaknesses and exploited them with almost a frightening
precision – they haven't got one of the highest try scoring records in the
league for no reason (more than the league leaders, Sarries). With guys like Baxter, Scaysbrook, Arscott
and Dollman all quality players, they have ruthlessly punished any side who has
dared make the mistake of underestimating them and yet, still, inexplicably,
teams continue to do it.
These are two sides who can both rip others to shreds but in
very different ways. One who aims to get
its stars into space, and the other who collectively run opponents ragged – this
game could be a beauty if both sides show up.
Another top 6 finish and Heineken Cup Rugby, and those unsung heroes in
the Chiefs ranks may just realise they are superstars after all - in Devon
anyway.
Exeter Team News
Buoyed by their impressive win at London Wasps a fortnight
ago, it's little wonder that Baxter sticks with an unchanged match-day squad
for their final outing. That means the Chiefs will again be led out by
long-serving number eight Richard Baxter, who will be pulling on an Exeter
jersey for the final time.
Starting Line up: Arscott, Nowell, Dollman, Shoemark, Jess,
Steenson, Thomas, Sturgess, Yeandle, Tui, Mumm, Welch, White, Scaysbrook,
Baxter (capt).
Subs: Whitehead, Rimmer, Mitchell, Muldowney,
Ewers, Chudley, Slade, Whitten.
Key Player
Richard Baxter.
Perhaps this is a little sentimental, but this guy pretty much is Exeter. Playing with unwavering commitment and
determination, he often doesn't receive the plaudits he deserves – which is
probably appropriate considering the man exemplifies the unappreciated
qualities of this excellent Chiefs side.
Strong, direct and powerful, with an unflinching drive and determination
to succeed, as well as surprisingly deft hands, Baxter embodies what the Chiefs
are all about and he'll be sure to get a big reception from the home fans on
his last game before retirement. He
won't be bothered about that though – all he'll care about is taking Morgan out
of the game at every opportunity so to stall the visitors' momentum.
Gloucester Team
News
With his starting XV unchanged, Nigel Davies only makes 3 changes
to his squad amongst the replacements. Hooker Darren Dawidiuk is back after
suspension and Mike Tindall and Shane Monahan come in for Ryan Mills and Martyn
Thomas.
Starting Line up: Cook,
Sharples, Trinder, Twelvetrees, May, Burns, Robson, Wood, Britton, Knight;
Savage (capt), Lokotui, Kalamafoni, Qera, Morgan.
Replacements: Dawidiuk,
Murphy, Thomas, Buxton, Hazell, Lewis, Tindall, Monahan.
Key Player
Ben Morgan. The
number 8 has suffered some rotten luck this year after being injured at the
beginning of the Six Nations, just when it seemed like he'd made that number 8
shirt his own. A colossal ball carrier,
his destructive presence around the fringes and on the kick return is
absolutely key to getting Gloucester onto the front foot and allowing the
backline to show their pace. Injuries do
happen on Lions tours, so Morgan will have to make sure that his last match of
the season leaves a sweet lasting memory in the minds of the coaches.
Key Battle
Gareth Steenson v Freddie Burns. The diminutive Irish/English fly half for the
Chiefs has been a revelation over the second half of the season – he's always
been known for his dead-eyed kicking from the tee, but lately we've been seeing
an eye for a gap, sharp acceleration and sublime offloading. It's the sort of qualities that had fans up
and down the country clamouring for Freddie Burns to be proclaimed the latest
saviour of the nation and handed a starting shirt for England, but the young
tyro hasn't quite managed to hit his early season form after injury. Against the Chiefs, he will have to ensure
that the Cherry and White's unbelievably talented backline are unleashed at
every available opportunity, whilst coping with Steenson's superior game
management skills. I think that this
game will be easy on the eye – but it may well come down to who can play the
corners better at key moments.
Prediction
The Chiefs at Sandy Park has proven to be one of the
toughest assignments in the League over the last couple of years, and with
Gloucester swinging from red hot to red not with apparent abandon, I can see
this one going the way of the hosts.
They've got something to play for and they'll have the superbly vocal
Exeter faithful backing them all the way – Chiefs by 9.
What else is happening across the Aviva Premiership this
weekend?
Harlequins v
Northampton: This would have been my
game of the weekend had there been anything riding on it. As it is, it’s a dead rubber but Northampton
will be desperate to prove they can beat a top 3 side before they go into the
playoffs – I can't see that happening at the Stoop though. Quins by 7.
Leicester Tigers v
London Irish: Leicester could
feasibly grab top spot with a win, but they'll be more concerned about securing
a semi-final against a London Irish side who have nothing but pride to play
for. At Welford Road, there can only be
one winner – Tigers by 18.
London Welsh v
Worcester Warriors: The Premiership
will bid a fond farewell to London Welsh at the Kassam Stadium in a match that
has absolutely nothing at all riding on it.
But the Exiles will be desperate to go out on a high and with the
Warriors looking very vulnerable, I think they might just manage it. Welsh by 5.
Sale Sharks v London
Wasps: Sale have certainly improved
in the second half of the season but they'll need to show up a lot better next
year if they are to justify all their expenditure on talent. Canny Cipriani took extreme measures to avoid
the game against his old club by taking on a bus in a game of British Bulldog,
but there are plenty of players on either side who are capable of producing a
bit of magic – though Wasps just have that little bit extra I think. Wasps by 4.
Saracens v Bath: Bath still have a shot at making it into
Europe and so will give it a good go, but Sarries at their new home look like a
real force and it's difficult to see them getting turned over. Saracens by 12.
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