Exeter winger Matt Jess: “Team ethic is only concern for Chiefs”

When Bath chairman Bruce Craig told the club’s end-of-season dinner that there wasn’t a single player in his  side whom he would swap for an Exeter Chiefs player, it was a statement that was as loyal to his own team as it was provocative to the opposition.
The pecking order of West Country rugby has been given an almighty shake in the past two seasons thanks to the Chiefs‘ relentless stampede. For so long a duel between Bath and Gloucester – with Bristol periodically entering the ring – Premiership rugby in the West Country rugby now has a new heavyweight.
The cold facts indisputably point to Exeter being the west’s top side, just two years after gaining promotion from the Championship.
Bath dropped from fifth in the 2010-11 Premiership to eighth last time out, while Exeter pulled off the reverse – eighth up to fifth. And while the Chiefs will be squaring up to Leinster, Clermont Auvergne and Scarlets when they make their debut in the Heineken Cup next season, Bath will be flying out to Romania for an Amlin Cup match with Bucharest Wolves.
Exeter might not have at their disposal the number of big names Bath have, but the Chiefs believe a player-driven hunger for success has given them the competitive edge.
“What it’s come down to is the boys wanting to prove themselves,” said Exeter wing Matt Jess, the only Premiership player not to miss a single minute of league action last season. “That gave us hunger in our first season in the Premiership.
“And after one season, we wanted more. We didn’t want Amlin Cup, we wanted Heineken Cup. That hunger for achievement remains.
“We have brought in ambitious players and we want more. We thrived on being around the top four last season and we want to be there again.”

As for the West Country rivalry, Jess is happy to leave that to supporters.
“The fans use it for bragging rights but as players the sole focus is on us as a club,” he said. “You don’t drift off and think how other clubs are doing.”
It’s an approach shared by Bath head coach Gary Gold.
“Going down the road of looking at how we compare with Exeter, Gloucester or any West Country club is quite dangerous,” said the Bath boss.
“Our issues are not about other clubs. Our issues are about what we plan to do, how we plan to do it and what it takes to do it.
“The West Country is a proud rugby area and Bath is a proud rugby city. I want that pressure to drive us on, but just looking at West Country rivalries will take away some of our focus.”
BATH RUGBY  v EXETER CHIEFS HOW THEY MATCH UP
So, is Bruce Craig right?How do the teams match up?
Exeter are yet to beat Bath since their promotion from the Championship – a fact which perhaps emboldened Craig to make his end-of-season claim.
But how do the two sides match up, toe-to-toe?
Bath’s front three struggled for consistency last season due both to injury and indifferent form. Loosehead was the biggest headache for the Bath selectors, but the arrival of Wales international Paul James this summer will buttress the scrum. But Exeter can promote from within rather than without thanks to the rise of academy product Ben Moon.
On the other side of the scrum Hoani Tui was Exeter’s Players’ Player of the Year and managed a more consistent run of games than Bath’s Davey Wilson.
At hooker, Chris Whitehead’s form at Sandy Park brought calls for international recognition. Lee Mears looked sharp for Bath when fit but had a season interrupted by injury.
There is little between the two teams in the second row. The Chiefs have added Australia international Dean Mumm to their ranks after the retirements of Peter Short and Chris Bentley, and skipper Tom Hayes has proved as adept at lock as at No.8. Bath have added much-needed depth through Dominic Day’s arrival from the Scarlets, with too much of the graft last season falling on Ryan Caldwell and Dave Attwood.
The two sides’ stand-out players last season were openside flankers James Scaysbrook and Francois Louw. Scaysbrook, who joined the Chiefs from Bath three years ago, oozed authority and was shortlisted for the Premiership’s Player of the Season, but it would be a brave coach who picked him ahead of Springbok Louw, a superb operator at the breakdown.
Elsewhere in the back row, there is an interesting head-to-head between Tom Johnson and Carl Fearns, who were both part of England’s summer tour. Johnson brings finesse and experience, but Fearns can provide the more dominant hit.
On last season’s form, Exeter half-backs Haydn Thomas and Ignacio Mieres get the nod over Michael Claassens and Stephen Donald, but Claassens was not helped by a pack on the back foot. Donald will benefit from a full pre-season at Bath.
Ulster import Ian Whitten could team up with Phil Dollman in the centres for Exeter this coming season, but if Matt Banahan benefits from the attentive coaching that’s being focused on him then Bath’s midfield will be disruptive.
The slippery Nick Abendanon has more flair than Exeter’s Luke Arscott at sweeper, while on the wing a mouth-watering encounter between Argentine internationals Gonzalo Camacho and new Bath signing Horacio Agulla awaits.
TOM BRADSHAW