Exeter’s irresistible second-half performance against Bath last weekend suggests they are over their minor blip and are now looking forward to the business end of the season with relish.
Positioned in second spot, two points ahead of Quins, the Chiefs head into this clash high on confidence following a notable 38-16 victory at The Rec where they came from 13 points down inside the first quarter.
The defending champions regrouped impressively to run in six tries and keep the pressure on league leaders Bristol Bears, and Baxter will be looking for his side to kick on from here as they build towards the back-to-back European rounds in April.
Jack Innard stepped in with a man-of-the-match display against Bath, in his first league start of the season, and he goes again in the Chiefs’ front row. To know that someone can come in and do a job like that, in the absence of Jack Yeandle and Luke Cowan-Dickie, must be very comforting for Baxter.
At full-back, Facundo Cordero is a quality replacement for Scotland skipper Stuart Hogg and the Argentinian will relish the extra freedom he’ll get there compared to the wing.
Win would be some statement from Quins
Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off presents the visitors with a serious test of their title credentials and they are more than capable of winning at Sandy Park in the league for the first time since 2014.
Premiership Player of the Month for February, Marcus Smith, is in the form of his life and would love nothing more than to mark his 100th club appearance with a win against the defending champions on their own patch.
His battle with Joe Simmonds will be one to saviour, as will the other head-to-head between two more players ignored by England – the respective No.8s, Sam Simmonds and Alex Dombrandt.
Simmonds is the league’s top try-scorer with 13 to Dombrandt’s six, but both players’ contributions extend way beyond their ability to cross the whitewash at regular intervals.
Overall, this fixture has the calibre and potential to be every bit as good as the Six Nations matches that follow.
Exeter: 15 Facundo Cordero, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Tom Hendrickson, 11 Tom O’Flaherty, 10 Joe Simmonds (capt), 9 Stu Townsend, 1 Alec Hepburn, 2 Jack Innard, 3 Harry Williams, 4 Jannes Kirsten, 5 Sam Skinner, 6 Dave Ewers, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 8 Sam Simmonds.
Replacements: 16 Elvis Taione, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Marcus Street, 19 Sean Lonsdale, 20 Richard Capstick, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Harvey Skinner, 23 Ollie Devoto.
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Tyrone Green, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 1 Joe Marler, 2 Scott Baldwin, 3 Wilco Louw, 4 Matt Symons, 5 Stephan Lewies, 6 James Chisholm, 7 Will Evans, 8 Alex Dombrandt.
Replacements: 16 Joe Gray, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Will Collier, 19 Glen Young, 20 Tom Lawday, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Brett Herron, 23 Luke Northmore.
