Adam Hughes will make his Exeter Chiefs debut against Bayonne tomorrow evening as one of 11 changes to the side that beat London Irish.
The Welshman is named in the centre alongside Ian Whitten, with Jack Arnott named at full-back and winger Tom James, scrum-half Haydn Thomas and fly-half Ceri Sweeney also called into the starting XV. Sweeney will also skipper the side.
Up front, Carl Rimmer, Mitch Lees and Don Armand are the other players to retain their place along with winger Jack Nowell.
Tonga hooker Elvis Taione and Scotland tighthead Moray Low make their first starts for the club, with Ryan Caldwell, James Scaysbrook and Kai Hortsmann also selected.
On the bench there could be first appearances of the season for Greg Bateman, Alex Brown, Sireli Naqelevuki, Dave Lewis and Fetu'u Vainikolo.
Head coach Rob Baxter believes the side he has selected should be able to record a win in their opening European Challenge Cup Pool Two match in the south of France.
He said: "We believe we have a strong squad and we believe we have some players who have been playing well and training well, who have not quite had an opportunity within the Premiership group so far this season because of the way we have been performing and gathering points.
"Therefore the key for us over these next four weeks is to come through this period in a stronger position than we are now. That in itself makes these games very important to us because I genuinely believe this is a key month for us. I say that not just in terms of getting results on the pitch, but also bringing through a group of players who are absolutely flying by the time we get back into the Premiership.
"Getting the balance of that and keep the intensity high enough for us to get back into the Premiership with ease is quite a challenge. However, the players seem focused and they've trained with great energy again this week.
"Right now I'm expecting a huge performance from us over in Bayonne – and again next week because Connacht will be another massive challenge as we know from past experiences."Exeter Chiefs: Arnott; Nowell, Hughes, Whitten, James; Sweeney, Thomas; Rimmer, Taione, Low, Lees, Caldwell, Armand, Scaysbrook, Horstmann. Reps: Bateman, Sturgess, Brown, Welch, Naqelevuki, Lewis, Steenson, Vainikolo
