H.Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sports Live coverage of today’s second semifinal of the Gallagher Premiership between Exeter and Bath at Sandy Park, where the winner will face Wasps in Twickenham in the final on Saturday 24 October.
After an exciting, all-out Wasp win at the Ricoh Arena earlier in the day, this is expected to be a little closer. Rob Baxter’s Exeter Chiefs have undoubtedly been the form team since the Premiership restart in August, but form doesn’t matter in knockout rugby. Bath, a team that could definitely shock the Chiefs in a deserted Sandy Park.
To match a Premiership semi-final, there are juicy match-ups all over the field, but as always, the back-row fight will be the most fascinating. Dave Ewers, Jacques Vermeulen and Sam Simmonds against the visitor trio of Tom Ellis, Sam Underhill and Taulupe Faletau. Dental.
Bath could gauge their chances better than usual, considering Exeter didn’t find out about their semi-final opponents until Wednesday morning after Sale’s match against Worcester was canceled. Henry Slade, the Chiefs’ center in England, admitted that preparation was “different” this week.
“We could really have played any of three teams so we had to do everything about ourselves this week,” he said. “We found out it would be Bath [on Weds morning] So we had some time to get some stuff for it, but on the whole it’s been a good week in which we focus on ourselves and what we can bring. It was exciting. “
“”[On Wednesday] We got to see Bath and tweak a few things. They have been in very good shape since the restart and it will be a really good game this weekend. They have some really dangerous players all over the team – especially behind them where I know some of these guys from international service.
“They have threats everywhere so we have to adjust to them, but I’m just curious to see what happens now because it has been a long time for those play-offs with the middle suspension.”
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