DAFYDD Jenkins will make his long-awaited return from injury by captaining Exeter Chiefs in their opening Gallagher PREM clash with Gloucester – more than four months after his last appearance in the Premiership final.

The Welsh international has not played since Exeter’s 2025/26 campaign ended with a 26-17 defeat by Northampton Saints in the Premiership final at Twickenham.

Now fit again, Jenkins will return to the Chiefs second row for Saturday’s Sandy Park opener, where he will partner summer signing Harry Wilson. His comeback is particularly timely for the Devonians, who will be without regular second-row partner Andrea Zambonin after the Italian international underwent shoulder surgery in the summer.

Jenkins’ return gives director of rugby Rob Baxter a major boost as the Chiefs look to hit the new Premiership season running following an impressive campaign last term.

Having reached the Premiership final for the first time since 2021, as well as the Premiership Rugby Cup final and European Challenge Cup semi-finals last season, Baxter knows his side cannot afford a slow start this time around.

“Overall, I’m pleased with pre-season and the character we showed in games like last weekend’s friendly in Cardiff,” said Baxter. “We’ve got to decide to roll our sleeves up now though and get ready for the Prem.

“The league is so competitive now, the games come so quickly and there’s so few of them, that you really can’t afford to get caught. It’ll be a really interesting game for both of us.”

Jenkins’ return sees him slot straight into the starting line-up alongside Wilson, with Ethan Roots, Kane James and Greg Fisilau making up a powerful back row.

Club captain Jack Yeandle leads the front row alongside Ethan Burger and Josh Iosefa-Scott.

There is also a major milestone for Olly Woodburn, who will make his 200th appearance for the club. He starts on the wing alongside Immanuel Feyi-Waboso with Ben Hammersley at full-back.

Stephen Varney, who marked his return to Chiefs colours with a try against Cardiff last weekend, starts at scrum-half alongside Harvey Skinner at fly-half. Henry Slade partners experienced Premiership player Will Butt in the centres.

Baxter, meanwhile, expects Gloucester to arrive in Devon equally determined to make an immediate impact and believes the contrasting circumstances surrounding the two clubs could make for a fascinating contest.

“One thing I know about Gloucester is they’ll have had a good, long, tough pre-season,” he said. “They’ll have talked a lot about resetting standards, goals and ambitions around how they want to play and what they want to achieve this season.

“Whereas we’ve had to go ‘we had a decent season, we want to push on from there’.

“So, the psychology of the game is very interesting. It’s something we’ve got to make sure we get right.”

There are potential Premiership debuts on the bench for academy youngsters Louie Gulley, Oscar Beckerleg and Joe Bailey.

Chiefs: B Hammersley; I Feyi-Waboso, H Slade, W Butt, O Woodburn; H Skinner; S Varney; E Burger, J Yeandle, J Iosefa-Scott; D Jenkins (capt), H Wilson; E Roots, K James, G Fisilau. Replacements: L Gulley, W Goodrick-Clarke, J Roots, O Beckerleg, J Bailey, J Murray, W Haydon-Wood, Z Wimbush