Seven changes for PWR UP friendly against Bristol Bears

Exeter Chiefs Women coaching team have made seven changes for this Sunday’s PWR Up series friendly against Bristol Bears at Sandy Park.

Seven players will also get their first opportunity to run out at Sandy Park in a Chiefs jersey.

Centre Sophie Langford has come in for Gabby Cantorna, who is about to report for WXV duty with the USA Eagles. Katie Buchanan will start on the wing while Lucy Nye has come in at scrum-half and Millie Whitehouse at hooker.

In the pack, flanker Taz Bricknell gets a chance to start while former Bristol Bears prop Stef Evans will be hoping to make an impact from the bench along with fly-half Ellie Cunningham.

This will be the second of Chiefs’ two pre-season PWR Up Series friendlies after beginning their pre-season campaign with a 47-14 win over Gloucester-Hartpury.

Assistant coach Steve Salvin said: “We won’t read too much into the result against Gloucester-Hartpury. The score was not of any real significance. It was more about trying to implement the things we have done in pre-season and give the players a chance to get themselves to match fitness.

“We had eight debuts last weekend and that was a highly positive thing, and a couple of returners as well. Across the board, every player would say there were certain things they did well and things they could have done better. That’s pretty representative of the team performance. That’s not for a second being critical, that’s just the nature of a pre-season game.

“All the debutants, the returners and the players who have been here a while deserve credit for a decent performance. We won’t change much for this weekend’s match in terms of the way we intend to play.”

Chiefs Women will kick-off at 14:00 at Sandy Park on Sunday. This game is included in all season ticket packages or is just £11 for adults and £5.50 for 16s and under.

Exeter Chiefs Women

15 Merryn Doidge
14 Georgina Tasker
13 Naomi Brennan
12 Sophie Langford
11 Katie Buchanan
10 Liv McGoverne
9 Lucy Nye
1 Demi Swann
2 Millie Whitehouse
3 Hannah Sams
4 Poppy Leitch (c)
5 Niamh Orchard
6 Taz Bricknell
7 Maisy Allen
8 Emily Robinson

16 Kayleigh Priest
17 Stef Evan
18 Flo Long
19 Ebony Jefferies
20 Zara Feaunati
21 Flo Robinson
22 Ellie Cunningham
23 Eilidh Sinclair