Exeter move Canada tighthead Menin to No.8 to cover injured Feaunati

Exeter Chiefs head coach Steve Salvin has opted for an unconventional positional switch to cover the absence of Maddie Feaunati, moving Canada tighthead DaLeaka Menin to No.8 for the club’s Round 17 Premiership Women’s Rugby fixture. Amy Rule, described by Salvin as a tighthead of considerable calibre, will fill the front-row vacancy created by the reshuffle.

“We’ve gone a little bit left field with Maddie’s replacement, and we’ve put DaLeaka Menin at No.8,” Salvin said. “We just think if we can implement DaLeaka’s carry game off the back of the scrum, in the same way she does when she’s playing tighthead and then having a tighthead of Amy Rule’s calibre in that number three shirt, that is quite an exciting prospect.”

Salvin acknowledged the gamble involved but expressed confidence in the outcome. “There’s obviously a little bit of jeopardy and a little bit of risk attached to that, but we do feel fully confident that we’ll see a very typical DaLeaka performance, which invariably means a lot of carry metres.”

The numbers support the logic. Menin, 30, has built a formidable reputation as a ball-carrier throughout her career, and her 2024-25 PWR season underlines it: six tries, 107 carries, 294 post-contact metres and 84 tackles to date.

Menin is not the only Exeter player operating out of position. Merryn Elworthy steps in at fly-half after Liv McGoverne was ruled out with an ankle sprain.

Bristol are also navigating significant personnel changes for the same round. Millie Hyett will make her Bristol debut at fly-half following the departure of Black Ferns playmaker Ruahei Demant and an injury to Scotland international Meryl Smith. Hyett, primarily an outside centre during her PWR career, played fly-half before her debut for Gloucester Hartpury three years ago and completed a mid-season move to Bristol in March. Wales scrum-half Keira Bevan will partner her at half-back.

Elsewhere in the Bristol starting XV, Simi Pam starts at loosehead prop after signing a new contract with the Bears, while Scotland international Hollie Cunningham is named among the replacements. Alisha Joyce makes her first appearance for the club since returning from maternity leave.

In a separate Round 17 storyline, Loughborough Lightning centre Alev Kelter will pack down at blindside flanker for her side’s must-win encounter with Saracens.