Lengthy spell out for Sam Simmonds?

Exeter are sweating over the fitness of number eight Sam Simmonds and lock Jonny Hill, with both possibly ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

The free-scoring Simmonds suffered an injury against Worcester over the weekend while Hill is struggling with a hand ligament problem.

Director of rugby Rob Baxter admitted it was too soon to tell how bad both players’ injuries were but they appear to be long-term issues.

“It’s a little bit early to say how bad they are at the moment,” Baxter told BBC Sport.

“Hopefully [they will be] back before the end of the season, but I can’t really say at this stage.”

He added: “You’ve just got to deal with these things, they happen, and use it to get the guys fit in every other area.

“Both Sam and Jonny can develop other areas of their physique and elements they want to keep working on in their programmes anyway, so we’ve just got to get them back fit as soon as we can and move on.

“They’re both good players and both have a significant part to play in the rest of the season. It’s a long old season and it’ll be amazing how quick they’ll be back in the Exeter shirt.”