Exeter Chiefs hooker Neil Clark prepared for Perpignan
Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Exeter Chiefs hooker Neil Clark says he and his front row colleagues will not be intimidated by Perpignan.
The French side come to Sandy Park on Saturday with the winners guaranteed a place in the last eight of the European Challenge Cup.
Perpignan have France internationals Nicholas Mas and Guilhem Guirado in their front row.
"We'll try not to think about them too much, no more than any other game," Clark told BBC Radio Devon.
"It's very important for us to concentrate on ourselves and what we can do right and what we can bring to the game."
But Clark accepts that Perpignan will provide one of the toughest tests he and his team-mates have had recently at Sandy Park.
Exeter went edged out 15-12 in the south of France in their first encounter in November.
"They've got pedigree all over the place, it's not just the front row," he said. "But especially for the front row it's a massive test for us.
"Out there was a massive challenge, Mas is renowned as one of the best tightheads in the world.
"Perpignan are renowned for being a big strong scrum and that's obviously going to be a massive test for us this weekend."
But Clark says he and his colleagues are relishing the chance to make the knockout stages of a European competition for the first time.
Exeter are in their second season in Europe after being promoted to the Premiership in 2010.
"If you'd have said a couple of years ago that we'd have a side like Perpignan coming down to Sandy Park and there'd be a quarter-final at stake you certainly would have taken it.
"It's a massive achievement for the club as a whole, we've got a fantastic support base down here, they act as the 16th man and we'll be relying on them to make it a daunting place for Perpignan like they did at their fixture.
"For us to get a quarter-final would be unbelievable and it just shows how far we've come as a club in such a short space of time."
