Baxter hails 'historic' win

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter said Saturday's 22-16 Heineken Cup victory over the Scarlets had created yet another "historic moment" for the Devon club.

Having come unstuck in their opening two European fixtures against the heavyweights units of Leinster and Clermont Auvergne, the Chiefs had no such worries in Wales as Haydn Thomas' early try, plus 17 points from the right boot of fly-half Gareth Steenson, ensured it was 'third time lucky' for Baxter's boys.

The Scarlets countered with a penalty try and a selection of kicks from Rhys Priestland and Aled Thomas, but their slim hopes of trying to advance in the competition have all but been extinguished following their third successive loss.

Afterwards, a happy Baxter was quick to pay tribute to his squad, stating: "It's another historic moment for the club and it's nice to collect some European points. To do it against a side like the Scarlets, who have a great European tradition, is a great result for us.

"We talk all the time about performance, and that it will ultimately look after the result, but sometimes you sit back and say 'let’s not worry about the performance too much'. We have won a game in the Heineken Cup in a pressurised environment, at a difficult place to come, and the players should feel immensely proud of what they have achieved today.

"As I said, it is another landmark in the club’s history for us to enjoy and celebrate, and we have taken another little bit of a step forward."

Saturday's success for the Chiefs ensured Baxter's side of their sixth successive victory in all competitions and he is keen they continue that run when they play host to the Scarlets again this weekend in their latest European encounter.

More of the same will be demanded from the Exeter leader, who added: "Getting that first win was the next thing on our wish list, so to speak. We came into the season saying we wanted to perform in the Heineken Cup, and although we felt we did that in the first couple of games, the next thing on the list was to try and force a win, which is what we did today.

"It wasn't the greatest game of rugby, but I think we won enough of the arm wrestle to deserve the points in the end. We started well; we got a fantastic try; but it was then about being efficient and going about our jobs. In the first half I thought we managed to control territory and possession a bit better than the Scarlets, which created pressure moments and we took our points.

"After half time it changed a little, we started losing the arm wrestle and all of a sudden the points started going the other way. Thankfully, though, the boys dug deep and we managed to hold them out at the end."