Gloucester hand debuts to two new faces when the Premiership champions Exeter come calling at Kingsholm tomorrow evening (7.45pm).

Fraser Balmain starts in the front row while Jason Woodward gets the nod at full-back.

Balmain, a 25-year-old prop, joined the club from Leicester while New Zealand-born Woodward, 27, arrived in the summer from Bristol.

It’s also a new experience for head coach Johan Ackermann, who said that he’s very much looking forward to his first Premiership game at Kingsholm.

“It’s going to be a great experience for myself,” he said. “I had a bit of a taste of it last Friday [in a pre-season friendly], but the real McCoy is this Friday when hopefully it’s a sold out stadium and I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere I’ve heard all about.”

It couldn’t be a tougher start for Gloucester than a game against a side who have not lost in the Premiership since the end of October.

“We’ve had a good look at them and they’re obviously a quality team, I’ve the utmost respect for what they’ve achieved,” said Ackermann. “They’re a quality side, very close, work extremely hard and are a physical side.

“It’s a great challenge, but this is why we play the game, to test yourself constantly at the highest level.

“Playing against Exeter, as the defending champions in the first round, is a great start and we’ll know where we are.

“But you can only control what you can control. We can control our own mindset and how we pitch up on Friday. We need to focus on ourselves and what we do although we will respect the opposition.”

Gloucester have included three more new faces among the replacements – Gareth Denman, Ed Slater and Ruan Ackermann.

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter is looking forward to the trip to Kingsholm.

“In a lot of ways Friday’s a really good fixture for us,” he said. “I always think Gloucester is a fantastic place to play, a great atmosphere and the supporters up there are very good natured in the right kind of way.”

Although Baxter has added six new faces to the playing ranks at Sandy Park in the summer, only one – Aussie scrum-half Nic White – makes the starting XV for tomorrow’s encounter. Fellow newcomer and former Cherry and Whites favourite Matt Kvesic is named among the Exeter replacements alongside England wing Jack Nowell.

Gloucester Rugby: 15. Jason Woodward; 14. Ollie Thorley, 13. Andy Symons, 12. Mark Atkinson, 11. Henry Purdy; 10. Billy Burns, 9. Willi Heinz (capt); 1. John Afoa, 2. Richard Hibbard, 3. Fraser Balmain; 4. Tom Savage, 5. Jeremy Thrush; 6. Lewis Ludlow, 7. Jacob Rowan, 8. Ben Morgan. Replacements: 16. Motu Matu’u, 17. Josh Hohneck, 18. Gareth Denman, 19. Ed Slater, 20. Ruan Ackermann, 21. Ben Vellacott, 22. Billy Twelvetrees, 22. Matt Scott. Unavailable for selection: Lloyd Evans, Mariano Galarza, Tom Marshall, Paddy McAllister, Ross Moriarty, Jake Polledri, Val Rapava Ruskin, Charlie Sharples, Owen Williams.

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman; 14 Olly Woodburn; 13 Henry Slade; 12 Ian Whitten; 11 Max Bodilly; 10 Gareth Steenson; 9 Nic White; 1 Ben Moon; 2 Jack Yeandle (capt); 3 Harry Williams; 4 Ollie Atkins; 5 Jonny Hill; 6 Dave Dennis; 7 Don Armand; 8 Sam Simmonds. Replacements: 16 Elvis Taione; 17 Carl Rimmer; 18 Tomas Francis; 19 Sam Skinner; 20 Matt Kvesic; 21 Jack Maunder; 22 Jack Nowell; 23 Lachie Turner.