Baxter stays level-headed after win

By Mark Stevens

A happy Rob Baxter refused to get too carried away despite seeing his Exeter Chiefs wrap up their pre-season programme with an impressive 43-16 victory over Bath at the Recreation Ground.

Having already lay claim to the inaugural Westcountry Challenge Cup with a game to spare, the Chiefs turned round a 16-14 deficit to run in 29 unanswered points in a polished second half showing.

Converted first half tries from Luke Cowan-Dickie and the returning Dave Ewers were cancelled out by three Tom Homer penalties and his conversion of Matt Banahan’s try on the stroke of half time.

However, the second half belonged solely to the visitors, whose ruthless attacking edge, coupled with a miserly defensive nous saw them rewarded with tries for Damian Welch, Thomas Waldrom, James Short and Byron McGuigan.

Skipper Gareth Steenson and replacement Will Hooley shared the remainder of the points for the Chiefs, who will now have to switch their attentions to next week’s seasonal opener, which ironically is against Bath at the Rec once more.



Post-match, Baxter said: “You always worry a bit when you have double header and you put in a good score in the first game just because you know it can then be easy to take things for granted next time. That’s the battle for us this week because we need to make sure we prepare flat out for what is traditionally one of our toughest games in the Premiership season.

“The truth is we have only beaten Bath once in the Premiership, we have never won here in the Premiership, so it’s little bit of a worrying score to get so many points. This week I have to make sure the players don’t take anything for granted – I don’t think they will – but it’s easy to say that because mentally you can think in the back of your mind you have come here before and scored some relatively easy points, especially in that last quarter. What we do know is that’s not going to happen in a Premiership game.”

Indeed, Baxter knows having seen his side record home and away victories over both Bath and Gloucester in pre-season, it’s next week’s seasonal opener that is the acid test – and getting the mental approach from all of his players will be key.

“As great as it was to come here and win – and as good as it was to show as much attacking ability as we did, the mental approach is what is going to be key next week,” added Baxter.

“If you look at the start of the second half it looked as though we were still in the changing rooms, but Don Armand did a couple of good things for us, we scrambled our way back up field, got a penalty, and from there on we regained our composure.

“That's what is going to be important next week, there are going to be moments when the crowd get going, get on the front foot and it’s how we control our composure during that time. That bit after half time is something we will talk about as we may have to do that three, four or five times next week – or we could come here and do very well again, that can happen also.

“And whilst I don’t want to talk down our performance today, the reality is it was a pre-season game. Pre-season games are never the same and we can’t roll into a Premiership season thinking your pre-season game has gone okay, what you have to do is get ready to fight and we have to make sure we do that this week.”

With the Chiefs squad set to be bolstered by six of their seven World Cup contingent returning on Monday to training, Baxter will certainly have plenty to ponder ahead of selection. At the same time, though, so too will Bath have key personnel back in harness and the Chiefs coach is expecting a much different challenge next time out.

“It makes next week a more interesting spectacle,” explained Baxter. “We have got some very good players coming back and so have Bath, so there is going to be something different out there. You’d expect George Ford to be out there for them, so that will change their quality of attack and the direction and leadership they have.

“Also, they will have a couple of front row forwards back, so it’s a different operation for us to get our heads around. We ourselves have an option to have an England wing, England centre and England lock, as well as some overseas players back.

“And whilst it’s nice to have the whole squad back in, from a coaching perspective managing the whole scenario, the win today, it being a double-header and reintegrating platers, it’s important we dot the ‘I’s’ and cross the t’s and have a really precise and intense training week.”

Certainly Baxter and his fellow coaches will have plenty to ponder after what was another clinical display from his players.

“We will break the game down in detail by tomorrow and by then we will have seen everything that every player has done. I will then have a chat with Ali [Hepher] and Rob [Hunter] and we will talk everything through. Everything will be tagged and bagged and we will go from there.

“Just looking at it now, there were periods where we looked fluid, dangerous and we looked in control. However, what you need to remember is it was only a pre-season game and with 20 mins left and the scoreboard going against you, that’s a little bit different for Bath than when they are fighting at the Rec in a Premiership game and that’s the battles we have to win next week.

“As I said, it’s always nice to win a game and have momentum, but it’s only good to have that if you work harder and harder to win that next game. Winning runs come to an end at some point, but it’s the teams that keep them going who are willing to work even harder and that’s what we have to do.”