Big Game 14: Exeter 'not there for the party' at Twickenham showpiece - Rob Baxter
- Published
Exeter's last match with Harlequins at Twickenham was a dramatic 40-38 loss in the 2021 Premiership final
Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter says his side must not be distracted by a large Twickenham crowd when they face Harlequins in Big Game 14 on Saturday.
Exeter were late replacements for Quins' annual Twickenham game after train strikes forced the original fixture with Bristol to be moved.
The Chiefs have not featured in a Quins game at Twickenham since December 2013.
"It's an opportunity for our lads to play at Twickenham in what will be a raucous atmosphere," Baxter said.
"But the reality of that is it's a game where we've got to collect some points.
"We're not there for the party, and I think we've got to be very careful of that because Quins have traditionally had a very good record there."
Baxter's side have never beaten Harlequins at England's home - their 22-6 loss in Big Game Six in December 2013 was followed by a dramatic 40-38 defeat by the Londoners in the 2021 Premiership final.
They go into the game on the back of a 24-21 win over second-placed Sale at Sandy Park on Sunday which saw the Devon side move up to fifth in the Premiership, one point off the play-off places with a game in hand on all of the top four.
But with five points separating eighth-placed Harlequins and Gloucester in fourth, Baxter says the Twickenham encounter could have a big bearing on his side's season.
"We've played there before in a Big Game and got it all wrong," he added to BBC Radio Devon.
"The lads just loved being there, obviously we had a different experience level in the team at that stage than we've got now, but we have to get it right.
"We've very much got to look at what we need to get out of the game - our challenge is to change our away form.
"We've got to be open and honest about it, unless we collect some points away from home it's going to be a tough run-in for us.
"Without doubt this game becomes very big because we've collected some points now, we've got ourselves in the mix, and if we want to stay in the mix we have to collect points and we have to stop other teams collecting points."