Challenge Cup: La Rochelle v Exeter match preview
Last Updated: 04/12/14 7:22pm
Exeter will be looking to take their Premiership form into Europe when they travel to La Rochelle on Thursday evening.
Pool two of the European Challenge Cup is finely poised with the Chiefs topping the table thanks to their losing bonus point against Bayonne in the first round – a game they were leading until the 77th minute.
However since that loss, the Chiefs have found a rich-vein of form in the Premiership and are unbeaten in November with wins against Saracens, Waspsm and Northampton under their belt.
Gareth Steenson's nine penalties against Saracens equalled the Premiership record for successful penalties and sees him topping the Premiership point-scoring table.
La Rochelle may be focussing on their domestic campaign, but the Top 14 new boys will still pose a threat to Exeter, despite being one off the bottom of the table.
At home they are difficult to beat and have only lost one game at home this season – although they did draw against Bayonne in the Top 14 over the weekend.
They have made 10 changes to the team that team who drew but still pocess plenty of attacking flair with the likes of Alofa Alofa Jules Lebail and Julien Audy in the starting XV.
La Rochelle: 15 Jean-Pascal Barraque, 14 Levani Botia, 13 Alofa Alofa, 12 Kini Murimurivalu, 11 Damien Cler, 10 Jules Lebail, 9 Julien Audy, 1 Jordan Seneca, 2 Benjamin Geledan, 3 Benoit Bourrust, 4 Jacobus Grobler, 5 Leandro Cedaro, 6 Benoit Guyot, 7 Nicolas Djebaili (c), 8 Loann Goujon.
Replacements: 16 Rassie van Vuuren, 17 Vincent Pelo, 18 Lekso Kaulashvili, 19 Albain Meron, 20 Jone Qovu, 21 Kevin Gourdon, 22 Fabien Fortassin, 23 Hamish Gard
Exeter: 15 Byron McGuigan, 14 Matt Jess, 13 Adam Hughes, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Tom James, 10 Gareth Steenson (c), 9 Haydn Thomas, 1 Brett Sturgess, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Moray Low, 4 Mitch Lees, 5 Ryan Caldwell, 6 Dave Ewers, 7 Ben White, 8 Kai Horstmann.
Replacements: 16 Greg Bateman, 17 Carl Rimmer, 18 Alex Brown, 19 Dean Mumm, 20 James Scaysbrook, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 Ceri Sweeney, 23 Fetu'u Vainikolo
Watch La Rochelle v Exeter LIVE on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7.30pm on Thursday
