Tom Hooper is back in an Exeter Chiefs matchday squad for the first time this season, named among the replacements as Sandy Park hosts Newcastle Red Bulls in round three of the Gallagher Premiership. The Wallabies back-rower returned to the UK only this week after featuring for Australia in the Rugby Championship, and his availability gives director of rugby Rob Baxter a significant option off the bench after a debut Chiefs campaign that included more than 20 appearances and a start in last season's Premiership final.
One Change Up Front
Baxter has made a single alteration to the starting pack that took two points from a tight contest at Bath. Kane James drops to the bench, with Italy international Ross Vintcent coming into the back row at openside flanker. Everywhere else, continuity is the theme: the front row of Ethan Burger, Jack Yeandle and Josh Iosefa-Scott is unchanged, while captain Dafydd Jenkins, who led the side in tackles and clearouts last time out, again partners Harry Wilson in the second row.
Ethan Roots and Greg Fisilau, both prominent defensively against Bath, start alongside Vintcent in the back row. Half-backs Stephen Varney and Harvey Skinner, who both scored at The Rec, retain their positions, and the back three sees Sam Harris handed a start at full-back following an injury concern to Olly Woodburn, while Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Wyatt occupy the wings. Will Butt, who impressed on his return to a former club, starts in midfield alongside Henry Slade.
Squad Depth as a Season-Long Asset
Hooper's inclusion says as much about squad management as it does about one player's return from international duty. Premiership clubs now operate across an extended calendar that overlaps with international windows, and the ability to reintegrate a frontline forward without disrupting an in-form pack is a quiet but meaningful indicator of depth. Baxter's bench, which also includes hooker Louie Gulley and props Will Goodrick-Clarke and Bachuki Tchumbadze, reflects a balance between forward power and the flexibility to adapt once a match develops.
For Exeter, the framing from the coaching staff has been pragmatic rather than celebratory. Baxter described the two points collected at Bath as a reasonable return given recent seasonal trends, while noting that a single point from an earlier home fixture had made the start to the campaign more difficult than hoped. That context matters: Premiership clubs are increasingly judged not on isolated results but on cumulative points tallies across opening rounds, since early form shapes play-off positioning later in the season.
Newcastle's Threat and the Broader Competitive Picture
Baxter's assessment of Newcastle Red Bulls as "a very dangerous side" with "real strength and quality individuals" is a reminder that Premiership form can be uneven for teams still building cohesion. Newcastle's performance against Leicester Tigers has evidently caught Exeter's attention, and Baxter's comments suggest a side more concerned with controlling its own improvement than with underestimating an opponent still finding its identity as a unit.
This kind of squad rotation and honest public assessment is typical of how Premiership clubs now communicate with supporters and media: measured, data-aware, and focused on marginal gains rather than dramatic pronouncements. With Hooper back in the frame and a settled starting group named, Exeter's task on Saturday is less about personnel and more about consistency - translating week-on-week improvement into results that keep pace with Premiership rivals through the opening rounds.