Tigers v Chiefs

[Will S]

No doubt it will be a tough game but we should expect to win every home game. I honestly believe if we play well we will win. They are a good unit (they have had a good amount of time to build that cohesion with being lucky on injuries and having few international call ups) but individually there aren't many Exeter players I would swap with into our starting 15. If we play well I think we should take the win.

[JP14]

Chiefs looked awesome against Wasps but Wasps didn't play well. I agree with other posters if BOC is fit then he must play at No. 7, I thought Williams had a good game at 6 but I would have Tom Croft on the subs bench so we can bring him on if we have trouble in the line out. Otherwise the same team as last Saturday with the exception
of the subs bench as I believe Tait will be out for a couple of weeks because of injury, so I would pick Holmes to take his place on the subs bench.

Unfortunately Noddy Holmes left the field early against Wasps, so if Tait is injured I would go with Owen, played the whole A League Match so I think he’s fit

[JP14]

My team would be:
1. Genge
2. Youngs
3. Cole
4. Barrow
5. Mapapalangi
6. Williams
7. O’Connor or Evans
8. Hamilton
9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. May
12. Toomua
13. Smith or Owen
14. Malouf
15. Vieanu

[JP14]

Interesting that Chiefs could be left without Simmonds and Waldrom, that leaves just Armand in the back row for ball -carrying. So if Tigers could just shut down him in the tight areas and deny Chiefs quality ball, just defend and defend like we did in AWC final.

[Roly]

I'm not sure they looked awesome against Wasps they looked good against a poor Wasps outfit and we beat a side who had similarly beaten Wasps at the Ricoh the week before. Man for man we are at least as good a squad, so it is who turns up on the day and we are at home, but there is no way they should be 20 points better than us

Just because Side A beat Side B, it does not mean that Side C will beat Side B.

Man for man is irrelevant. It is how the squad plays as a whole and chiefs have demonstrated that they're bigger than the sum of their individuals (have been since their inception into the AP). Tigers are struggling to gel, but they are improving. Fortress Welford Rd isn't a fortress anymore.

They are not 20 points better than Tigers by default - but they were 14 points better than Wasps, and they punish sloppy play (witness Worcester & LI). If Tigers are not disciplined, accurate and clinical, Chiefs will win by a good margin I would think. A win is of course possible and the home team have reasons to be confident, but it might be too early in the season yet for Tigers to be taking this particular scalp.

[johnthegriff]

Good post by Roly and almost optimistic. Exeter are a great team at present, like us they have a few injuries but they have strength in depth. Saturday will be a test for us but we are improving and if we can get our lineout right I think we can win. Whatever the result I am looking forward to what promises to be a good game.

[Chobbsy]

Lets just hope that the small improvements over the last 2 matches continue, I don't believe we will win, but if we are continuing to improve then we at least are on the right track

[BFG]

Few expected Tigers to beat Quins so all to play for, I'm optimistic but at the same time realise Chiefs are the current Champions!

[dpoc74]

I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst. My throat has just about recovered from the Quins game (but I can't get their :censored: song out of my head!) so all ready for Saturday!

[strawclearer]

I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst. My throat has just about recovered from the Quins game (but I can't get their :censored: song out of my head!) so all ready for Saturday!

I'd rather have the Quins song in my head than the dreadful devonian dirge that is the 'Tomahawk Chop'. Shutting that noise up will be the best by-product of our winning on Saturday - which we will! COYT

Taking account of peoples' views of injuries...

15 Telusa Veainu
14 Nick Malouf
13 Matt Smith
12 Matt Toomua
11 Jonny May
10 George Ford
9 Ben Youngs
1 Ellis Genge
2 Tom Youngs (c)
3 Dan Cole
4 Harry Wells
5 Dom Barrow
6 Mike Williams
7 Luke Hamilton
8 Sione Kalamafoni

Replacements

16 Harry Thacker
17 Greg Bateman
18 Logovi’i Mulipola
19 Valentino Mapapalangi
20 Will Evans
21 Sam Harrison
22 Joe Ford
23 Gareth Owen

[Roly]

I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst. My throat has just about recovered from the Quins game (but I can't get their :censored: song out of my head!) so all ready for Saturday!

I'd rather have the Quins song in my head than the dreadful devonian dirge that is the 'Tomahawk Chop'.

Which of course is so much worse than the entire content of the Crumbie relentlessly and monotonously chanting the highly imaginative 'Tigers....Tigers..... Tigers....'.

[strawclearer]

I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst. My throat has just about recovered from the Quins game (but I can't get their :censored: song out of my head!) so all ready for Saturday!

I'd rather have the Quins song in my head than the dreadful devonian dirge that is the 'Tomahawk Chop'.

Which of course is so much worse than the entire content of the Crumbie relentlessly and monotonously chanting the highly imaginative 'Tigers....Tigers..... Tigers....'.

At least we chant our 'name' which refers back to our historical roots. Exeter have zero connection with so-called 'Red Indians'; there is no 'Red Indian' songbook with the 'Chop' in it and no proof any 'Red Indians' other than those on a Hollywood film set ever droned like the devonians do; and they can't even manage to get the word 'Exeter' into the lyrics! Where's the Lone Ranger when you need him!?

[strawclearer]

"Leicester Tigers could have Brendon O'Connor and Adam Thompstone available to face Exeter, but London Irish more likely." BBC Leicester Sport

Plus:

"Hooker George McGuigan is back in training, but no date has been set for his return."

"Matt O'Connor says Graham Kitchener's surgery on cracked eye-socket went better than expected. He's expected to be back in time for Europe."

[Roly]

I'd rather have the Quins song in my head than the dreadful devonian dirge that is the 'Tomahawk Chop'.

Which of course is so much worse than the entire content of the Crumbie relentlessly and monotonously chanting the highly imaginative 'Tigers....Tigers..... Tigers....'.

At least we chant our 'name' which refers back to our historical roots. Exeter have zero connection with so-called 'Red Indians';

Irrelevant. Neither 'chant' is any less of a 'dirge' than the other.

[iceman_19]

Which of course is so much worse than the entire content of the Crumbie relentlessly and monotonously chanting the highly imaginative 'Tigers....Tigers..... Tigers....'.

At least we chant our 'name' which refers back to our historical roots. Exeter have zero connection with so-called 'Red Indians';

Irrelevant. Neither 'chant' is any less of a 'dirge' than the other.

A rare occasion I agree with Roly!

I'd like to see us at least try a couple of player specific chants. Malouf, Malouf, Malouf is on fire is pretty basic but as usual nobody else seems interested on the terrace if you try and start something new up...