Preview: Wasps v Exeter

Wasps fly-half Dave Walder will make his 150th Premiership appearance on Sunday, against Exeter Chiefs at Adams Park.

Wasps ten Dave Walder will make his 150th Premiership appearance on Sunday, against Exeter Chiefs in the domestic clash at Adams Park.

The former Falcon's steady boot has been key to the club of late, securing 110 points for the men in black and gold this term, upping his Premiership points total to 912. Injury prevented the fly-half from facing the Chiefs in the LV=Cup clash but he will be just as eager to avenge the 29-6 defeat.

Exeter are making their first ever trip to Adams Park and will face a Wasps line-up bolstered by the return of Simon Shaw, Andy Powell and David Lemi who return from their international camps.

Shaw replaces Marty Veale who is named amongst the replacements, whilst Powell comes in for Dan Ward-Smith who is also named on the bench. Lemi starts on the left wing and Tom Varndell moves to the right, with Richard Haughton ruled out with a knee injury. In the front-row Shaun Ruwers collects his first start for the club, replacing Tim Payne who is also ruled out with a knee complaint.

The only other change to the starting XV that secured an 11-6 win over Bath at The Rec last Saturday is at hooker as Tom Lindsay comes in for Joe Ward. Ward joins the replacements as does Samoan International Zak Taulafo but Tom Rees is removed from the bench due to a shoulder injury.

“We look forward to a return to home turf on Sunday and to welcoming Exeter for their first game at Adams Park,” said Director of Rugby, Tony Hanks.

“They have shown they are a team full of ambition and their performances have backed that up with strong wins both home and away.

“Dave Walder reaches the personal milestone of 150 Premiership games this weekend. While many of those games were at Newcastle Falcons, Dave's contribution to Wasps, both on and off the field since his arrival, has been significant so congratulations go to him on that achievement.

“In terms of selection we are pleased to welcome David Lemi, Zak Taulafo, Simon Shaw and Andy Powell back from international duty on the back of a solid tournament for all four players. They bolster our line up that is without the services of Tom Rees, Tim Payne and Richard Haughton who all sustained knocks in Bath.”

Meanwhile, Exeter Head Coach Rob Baxter insists the trip is “just what his side need” as they go in search of recording a fourth successive Aviva Premiership victory.

Still very much the talk of the top flight, the Chiefs have continued to receive praise after defying people's claims that they would struggle to adapt.

“It's a tough challenge, but it's probably just what we need,” said Baxter.

“I think everybody knows how much we enjoy playing at home. We always get a fantastic atmosphere, the crowds have been phenomenal and they are really backing what we are trying to do as a side.

“However, the last couple of games [against Leeds and Sale] have been real high pressure games for us. We've gone into those games with people thinking we were the side in form and that we should come away with wins. It put extra pressure on us and it didn't always bring the best out of us, but it has brought us two wins which we are very pleased with.”

Not surprisingly Baxter sticks with the same winning formula to that which saw off Sale 24-19. It means Frenchman Nic Sestaret retains his place on the left wing ahead of leading try-scorer Mark Foster, whilst Kiwi centre Jason Shoemark will partner Phil Dollman in the Exeter midfield once more.

And with injured duo James Phillips and Gareth Steenson edging ever closer to a return to action, Baxter has plenty of options at his disposal as the club prepare to tackle a busy festive period.

“Things are going well,” said the head coach.

“I like to think the players are confident right now, but we are also aware they have been through some very tough fixtures recently. The guys have not been walking off the pitch shouting and hollering about how easy the games were. Instead they've talked about how hard they have had to work to get the points. For me that is fantastic because it kind of keeps us grounded.”

Form: The two sides have already met in the Anglo-Welsh Cup this season, with the Chiefs victorious 29-6 at Sandy Park. London Wasps' three straight victories in Aviva Premiership Rugby have elevated them from 9th to 6th place in the table. Wasps only home defeat this season in any competition was 10-37 to Northampton in the Premiership on 24 October. Exeter Chiefs' impressive start to the season continues. The newly promoted side are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions, and have not lost on their travels since the trip to Northampton on 2 October. The only other competitive clash between the two clubs was in February 1995 in the quarter-final of the Pilkington Cup, when Wasps won 31-0 at the old County Ground.

The teams:

Wasps: 15 Mark Van Gisbergen, 14 Tom Varndell, 13 Ben Jacobs (capt), 12 Steve Kefu, 11 David Lemi, 10 Dave Walder, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Andy Powell, 7 Serge Betsen, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 James Cannon, 4 Simon Shaw 3 Ben Broster, 2 Tom Lindsay, 1 Shaun Ruwers.
Replacements: 16 Joe Ward, 17 Zak Taulafo, 18 Jason Hobson, 19 Marty Veale, 20 Dan Ward-Smith, 21 Nic Berry, 22 Seb Jewell, 23 Elliot Daly.

Exeter: 15 Luke Arscott, 14 Andrew Higgins, 13 Phil Dollman, 12 Jason Shoemark, 11 Nic Sestaret, 10 Ryan Davis, 9 Haydn Thomas, 8 Richard Baxter, 7 James Scaysbrook, 6 Tom Johnson, 5 James Hanks, 4 Tom Hayes (capt), 3 Chris Budgen, 2 Simon Alcott, 1 Brett Sturgess.
Replacements: 16 Chris Whitehead, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Hoani Tui, 19 Dave Gannon, 20 Chad Slade, 21 Garrick Cowley, 22 Ignacio Mieres, 23 Mark Foster.

Date: Sunday, November 5
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Adams Park
Referee: Greg Garner