HCup Rd2 (Pool 5): Exeter Chiefs vs ASM Clermont Auvergne @ Sandy Park (18:00, Saturday 20 October 2012)

The challenges, they just a keep on coming!

From Monday's WMN:

Clermont fixture key to progress – Baxter

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter admitted next Saturday evening's Sandy Park clash with French giants Clermont Auvergne will have a huge bearing on the club's Heineken Cup hopes.

The Chiefs produced a superb performance over the weekend to earn a losing bonus point from their 9-6 defeat by Cup holders Leinster in Dublin. At the same time, Clermont Auvergne were hammering Scarlets 49-16.

"It really is a big game for us," said Baxter. "We have got to make sure we don't get a bit pleased with ourselves and think we performed really well in Dublin, draw a breath, and then get stung next Saturday.

"We have been playing well at Sandy Park, and we have got to keep driving home the way we want to perform, and make sure we get something out of the Clermont game."

Baxter was very proud of his players' performance against a Leinster side crowned European champions three times in the past four seasons, but was also left to ponder what could have been after Ignacio Mieres missed a penalty chance from close to halfway with the last kick of the match.

"There were large parts of our display which were very, very good," he said. "When you play pretty well, and you come pretty close, it is disappointing not to finish the job off.

"We talk every week about performances, and, if you put one in, you are going to be there or thereabouts – and we were on Saturday. We came up a little bit short, and sometimes you have just got to take that on the chin."

A draw was the least that Exeter deserved from their afternoon's work, but Baxter said: "I don't think you can ever say you deserve anything from a game.

"You have just got to work extremely hard, and, if your moments come, you have got to try and take them.

"We created a few moments we didn't quite see off, but Leinster are a dangerous side, and for quite a large part of the second half, they had us under a great amount of pressure, and we struggled to deal with that at times.

"However, in terms of fighting spirit, working hard, and playing some good rugby, Saturday had everything from us, really, other than probably enough points."

Exeter were very impressive in the first half, and reached the break level pegging at 3-3.

"We had a good intensity about us. I thought we were a little bit hesitant in the first ten minutes, and didn't quite make the killer passes we maybe could have done to make things a little bit easier for ourselves, and that is probably down to just a little bit of nervousness, but, once we settled down, we looked relatively comfortable," Baxter explained.

"You have got to remember, though, that Leinster have had a bit of an up and down start to the season, and didn't get their Irish internationals immediately and didn't really get the run of fixtures into the game that we had.

"We have had six very tough fixtures, and probably rolled into the match pretty battle-hardened, and it stood us in good stead because we were capable of playing at a high tempo.

"We've got a very important losing bonus point, which in these pools can prove crucial, and we didn't let Leinster get a bonus point, so it is a three-point deficit from this game, and the reality is, when we play Leinster at home, we will be battling to overturn that deficit.

"There are a lot of positives for us, bonus points away from home can be very important, and our level of performance was really, really good."

Baxter said there would certainly be no blame placed on the shoulders of Mieres for missing the very difficult last-minute kick.

"It was a shot to nothing, really," he said. "If he missed it, it was not the end of the world because it was a tough chance, and, if he slotted it, he was a hero. That's what kickers do, they have to step up there and take shots at goal.

"We are certainly not blaming him for anything, and it was great to have that opportunity at the end."

Concise, GC, and to the point - I like it

A picture is worth a thousand words, Asbo my boy.

Will be very tought for the Chiefs but they always seem to find a way of scoring points and this will be a good test of where they are as a squad. Clermont looked strong all over in their last match though - a leaky defence for 20 minutes but otherwise no apparently weakenesses.

On the up side, one of our favourite sons, his Wagganess may well miss the match for "accidentally" stomping on a Scarlet.

Can't wait

Clermont in your own back yard is very doable. Stick to the game plan and take your chances.

I'm not sure what to make of Chiefs yet, i've liked them the way they've come up are a force in the Prem, no big star signings, building a good future, really are a model team for any Championship team to follow.

I thought that they would be found lacking just that extra level of class that the top teams have.
You know at present Chiefs are able to beat the big boys, but the top teams a level up consistantaly beat the big boys.
But the showing that they put in, at the RDS surprised me, following thier win over Harliquins. Ok Leinster weren't at thier best, but at home they can beat any team, and Chiefs were a kick away from a draw, bigger teams have gone there and done worse.

For me the Clermot game will highlight if they really are up on a level I thought they would be (from a top 6 side to a top 4 side), and hence knock out round contenders, if they get an easier group next year.

Obviously as the Eng club i'll be backing Chiefs to the hilt. To, the, hilt...

But realistically i'll be massively proud if you can come away with the losing bonus point against Clermont, they're just a class apart in Europe and when on form very very few teams can contain them.

Good luck to the Chiefs,Clermont are not the same team away from home so you have every chance of beating them.

ASM team for Exeter : only one change from the team that played against the Scarlets (Hines being suspended).

Byrne ; Sivivatu, Rougerie, Fofana, Nalaga ; (o) James, (m) Parra ; Vosloo, Chouly, Bonnaire ; Pierre, Cudmore ; Zirakashvili, Kayser, Domingo.

subs: Paulo, Debaty, Kotze, Jacquet, Vermeulen, Radosavljevic, Skrela, Stanley.

CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE CLERMONT AUVERGNE

15 Luke Arscott
14 Ian Whitten
13 Phil Dollman
12 Jason Shoemark
11 Matt Jess
10 Gareth Steenson
9 Haydn Thomas
1 Brett Sturgess
2 Simon Alcott
3 Carl Rimmer
4 Tom Hayes (capt)
5 Dean Mumm
6 Tom Johnson
7 James Scaysbrook
8 Richard Baxter

16 Chris Whitehead
17 Ben Moon
18 Chris Budgen
19 James Hanks
20 Aly Muldowney
21 Will Chudley
22 Ignacio Mieres
23 Sireli Naqelevuki

Very happy with that side, players all deserved another crack. Temptation would have been to find somewhere to include Gonzo Camacho, but who to leave out? Best kept as it

Hines is out for 6 weeks after putting the boot into Stoddard.

He's a very naughty boy - hope he travels anyhew so we can give him a Chiefs how

15 Lee Byrne
14 Sitiveni Sivivatu
13 Aurélien Rougerie
12 Wesley Fofana
11 Napolioni Nalaga
10 Brock James
9 Morgan Parra
1 Thomas Domingo
2 Benjamin Kayser
3 Davit Zirakashvili
4 Jamie Cudmore
5 Julien Pierre
6 Gerhard Vosloo
7 Julien Bonnaire
8 Damien Chouly

16 Ti'i Paulo
17 Vincent Debaty
18 Daniel Kotze
19 Loic Jacquet
20 Elvis Vermeulen
21 Ludovic Radoslavjevic
22 David Skrela
23 Benson Stanley

Wow! 2nd half from ASM Properly spanked, but had a fabulous evening - Kiwi Pete, Mick le chef and 11 lads from the Culm Valley Inn - superb atmosphere at Sandy Park, the Clermont players were applauded from the pitch for a wonderful exhibition and they responded in kind. Then back to the CVI where tr craic just kept on rolling