Exeter come into their penultimate BUCS Super Rugby game on the back of last Wednesday’s memorable Varsity victory over Loughborough at Sandy Park.

With Durham 9 points clear at the top of the table following their bonus-point victory over Northumbria, Exeter know that they are relying on Leeds Beckett and Hartpury to do them a huge favour in the final two regular season rounds. Realistically, the target now is to maintain a grip on second place in the table, which Keith Fleming’s men currently hold by the narrowest of margins, Leeds Beckett just one point behind in the table.

Swansea have been impressive in their debut Super Rugby season, occupying 7th position in the standings. Their last home fixture against Cardiff Met proved how difficult trips to St Helen’s can be, with Met edging that encounter 16-11. Exeter will know they will have to hit their straps if they are to secure an important victory.

The last encounter between the sides in January saw Exeter eventually pull clear in a 47-17 bonus-point victory. However, it was far from plain sailing for the men in green and white, as Swansea took an early 10-0 advantage. It wasn’t until the 57th minute, that Exeter were able to pull further than two scores clear, as two tries in four minutes eventually turned the tide in Exeter’s favour, having led 19-17 up until that point.

Exeter make four changes to the starting XV following last weeks Varsity victory, all coming in the pack. At loosehead prop, Jacob Morris comes in for his first Super Rugby start, replacing George Strainge who takes his position on the bench. On the tighthead, Fin Richardson comes in for top-scorer Matthew Johnson, who drops out of the matchday side. In the second-row, Frazier Kiff comes in to start, Jamie Yates moving to the bench, with the final change seeing Cameron Bullard replace Albert Slade. There are three more personnel changes on the bench too, Max Taylor-Baggs coming in with Richardson’s promotion to the starting XV and Johnson’s absence, along with a return to the matchday 23 for back-row Tom Addison and centre Kieran Kelly.

Swansea make several alterations from last weeks defeat at Bath, with captain Josh Moore returning at hooker in place of Garin Lloyd, Huw Sutton coming in for Ed Couzens and Scott Jenkins replacing Cai Davies at 8 in the final alteration in the pack. In the backline, Hywel Williams replaces Griff Williams at scrum-half, whilst Lailand Gordon moves to the left wing for David Armstrong with Will Slark coming into the side. There's one final change at inside centre as Dafydd Manly comes in for Zak Ward, allowing Max Nagy to move back to fullback. On the replacements bench, Callum Easton, Ellis Halliday, Jack Anderson, JJ Paling and Brandon Wood come in, as Swansea bring in fresh legs for their penultimate Super Rugby fixture of the season.

Last week saw Exeter secure victory over Loughborough in the annual Varsity fixture at Sandy Park. After a nervy first-half saw Exeter edge a 9-7 lead at the break, an interception from Will Yarnell and a stunning individual score from Luke Mehson saw Exeter secure a 24-17 victory. However, there is plenty to improve upon for the side, with the attack struggling to click and ill-discipline allowing Loughborough into promising attacking positions. Despite this, the resilience of the side was there in abundance, with the sheer will to win of the side pulling through to secure victory.

Swansea will be looking to respond in front of their home crowd after a disappointing 33-10 loss away at 8th placed Bath last Wednesday. Despite the defeat, they still remain 5 points clear of Bath in the table, having guaranteed themselves another season of BUCS Super Rugby action. Their target now is to finish their season on a positive note, with home fixtures against Exeter and Loughborough before competing in the BUCS Championship knockouts.

Kick-off is at 18:30 in what are expected to be cold and damp conditions, as both sides aim to try to secure a victory that will set them up for a final push as the season draws to a close.

Exeter University Side vs Swansea University:

Starting XV:
15. Charlie Davies, 14. Arthur Relton, 13. Harry Tarling, 12. Joe Elderkin, 11. Luke Mehson, 10. Harry Bazalgette, 9. Will Yarnell, 8. Paul Schroter (Capt), 7. Charlie Wright, 6. Cameron Bullard, 5. Alex Roper, 4. Frazier Kiff, 3. Fin Richardson, 2. Luke Bury, 1. Jacob Morris

Replacements:
16. Chris Moore, 17. George Strainge, 18. Max Taylor-Baggs, 19. Jamie Yates, 20. Tom Addison, 21. Pietro Di-Chio, 22. Francesco Scardamaglia, 23. Kieran Kelly

Swansea University Side vs Exeter University:

Starting XV:
15. Max Nagy, 14. Will Slark, 13. Ewan Gully, 12. Dafydd Manly, 11. Lailand Gordon, 10. Gwyn Parks, 9. Hywel Williams, 8. Scott Jenkins, 7. Will Barraclough, 6. Charlie Samwells, 5. Huw Sutton, 4. Will Ponty, 3. Tom Northey, 2. Josh Moore (Capt), 1. Harry Dyer

Replacements:
16. Callum Easton, 17. Ellis Halliday, 18. Toby Teague, 19. Owen Flower, 20. Jack Anderson, 21. JJ Paling, 22. Zak Ward, 23. Brandon Wood

Venue: St Helen's Ground, Bryn Road, Brynmill, Swansea, SA2 0AR
Kick-Off: 18:30