EXETER Chiefs will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the new PREM Rugby season when they travel to Ashton Gate tomorrow for a ‘Derby Day’ tussle against the Bristol Bears (3pm).

Having started their campaign with a hard-fought draw at Northampton Saints, Rob Baxter’s side collected their first win of the season last Saturday when they downed lowly Newcastle Red Bulls 38-15.

Not surprisingly, the Chiefs’ Director of Rugby sticks with a near winning formula, the sole change coming in the pack where South African hooker Joseph Dweba misses out with club captain Jack Yeandle coming in to replace him.

Yeandle’s elevation into the starting XV means there is also a change on the bench where summer signing, Julian Heaven, waits to get his first taste of English rugby’s top flight.

However, fellow Aussie Len Ikitau will not be risked having only arrived in the UK earlier this week. His high-profile arrival is sure to whet the appetites of not only the Chiefs faithful, but also Baxter who is ready to pit the 27-year-old alongside the likes of Henry Slade, Paul Brown-Bampoe and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in a deadly-looking back division.

“You don’t have to be a genius to look at the group we've had training today and the two games we've had and go 'this just looks better than last season' - you can just see that,” said Baxter.

“Some of it is personnel, some of it is some of the shifts we've made, some of it has been the pre-season. But without doubt it’s an exciting group to be working with right now. I don't look at the fixture list and have a fear of any fixture, but obviously as they roll around you do go ‘this is going to be tough’.

“But that’s the exciting thing. I think we’re looking at a group at the minute where we can go ‘right, we can be competitive every single game we play home and away’ and that always starts an exciting season for us.”

Standing in the way of the Chiefs tomorrow will be a Bears outfit, who having defeated Leicester Tigers first up, then suffered defeat at Saracens a week ago.

They will be shy of several notable first team stars, including the likes of Harry Randall, AJ MacGinty and Louis Rees-Zammit, but Baxter is still wary of the threat they pose.

“Whenever you play Bristol, you’ve got to expect them to attack, to score tries and play with tempo. Keeping the ball moving has become somewhat their trademark. They’ll look to outscore you, so we have to be very focused on being alert,” he warned.

Exeter Chiefs: Dan John; Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Henry Slade, Ben Hammersley, Paul Brown-Bampoe; Harvey Skinner, Stephen Varney; Will Goodrick-Clarke, Jack Yeandle, Josh Iosefa-Scott; Dafydd Jenkins (capt), Andrea Zambonin; Ethan Roots, Greg Fisilau, Ross Vintcent. Replacements: Julian Heaven, Ethan Burger, Bachuki Tchumbadze, Rusi Tuima, Lewis Pearson, Kane James, Charlie Chapman, Nick Lilley.