Baxter remains positive

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter refused to be too downbeat despite seeing his side slip to a narrow 20-16 defeat to Glasgow Warriors in their second Heineken Cup fixture of the season.

Second half tries from Tim Swinson and Tyrone Holmes, together with 10 points from the boot of Ruaidrh Jackson, gave the Scotsmen their first victory in Pool Two, although the Chiefs were able to head home with a crucial losing bonus point thanks to a late try from No.8 Dave Ewers (pictured) and successful kicks from Gareth Steenson and Henry Slade.

That bonus point ensured the Chiefs are top of the group after two stages, level on points with defending champions Toulon, and one ahead of the Warriors and Cardiff Blues, who 24 hours earlier had defeat the French giants in the Welsh capital.

Post match, Baxter said: "We're disappointed not to have won the game, but as I've just said to the players we are in a group with the defending Heineken Cup champions, a very strong Cardiff Blues side and today we are playing Glasgow, the RaboDirect leaders at home, and after two rounds we are level at the top of the pool, so we must be getting something right.

"Today was a tough game out there, but lets face facts these guys don't lose too many games at home. Standing here now it's hard for people to appreciate just how tough the conditions were out there. At times it was difficult to put two passes together, let along multi-phase stuff, but full credit to our guys they kept going for the full 80 minutes and in the end they've come away with what is a very valuable bonus point for us."

Having led 9-6 at the break, the Chiefs struggled to find their rhythm for parts of the second period and it was the Warriors who pounced with two quickfire tries to ensure their success.

Baxter added: "There were one or two moments that went their way, but tactically I thought we got it right for most of the game. It's easy to look back and say we should have done this or that, but it was tough out there. Today, I think, will be a good experience for us, not just in terms of the Heineken Cup, but also the Premiership and the LV= Cup, because not every game is going to be played in lovely conditions. The key is you have to adapt and be competitive and I thought we were very competitive there today."

With a double header against star-studded Toulon next up for the Chiefs in December, Baxter knows victory in the opening leg at Sandy Park on December 7 will be vital if his side are to stand any chance of advancing into the latter stages of the competition.

"We always knew we would have to beat Toulon at least once, whilst at the same time doing our best to ensure they don't collect any points," said the Chiefs' coach. "For us, today's result has not changed anything in terms of where we are at. Right now we have six points from two games and if you're in the Premiership ticking along at three points a game, you'd be very happy. Therefore three a game in the Heineken Cup is a decent return at this stage."

However, before the Devon club can even entertain thoughts of Toulon, they have more pressing matters in both the Premiership and LV= Cup to deal with - starting with Saturday's visit of Worcester Warriors to Sandy Park.

"Every round you play in Europe the aim is to try and keep things alive," said Baxter. "Right now the pool is alive for us and our next game is at home to the champions, which is fantastic. As I said, we've done alright up here today and to lose by four points is not a big issue in the grand scheme of things. I think what we have to do is learn from today, recover well and great ready for what is a huge Premiership game against Worcester this week.

"Yes, we were disappointed coming off today - and I like to see that in our players - but as we know the top sides do lose games in the Heineken Cup and they brush it off very quickly. That's how it works and you only have to look at the likes of Leicester, Toulon, Munster, Leinster, they take it on the chin and they make sure they are ready for that next game."