Baxter can't hide his delight

By Mark Stevens
4/3/17

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter could not hide his delight after his side underlined their play-off credentials in the Aviva Premiership by downing Leicester Tigers 34-15 at Welford Road.

Despite trailing to a fifth-minute try from Italian international Michele Rizzo, the visitors dominated the remainder of the contest to collect maximum reward and close the gap on table-topping Wasps to just a single point.

Kai Horstmann (pictured), Stu Townsend and Mitch Lees all crossed the line, while a penalty try was also converted by England international Henry Slade, who finished with 14 points on the night.

The Tigers countered with a second half score from Maxine Mermoz and five points from Owen Williams, but it was never enough against a dominant Chiefs outfit, who have not lost in the top flight since late October.

“No point me beating around the bush, we’re delighted to get five points here,” said Baxter at the final whistle. “It was a crucial game, Leicester have started to find some form, and we have come here fighting to stay second. In the end, we’ve come away with everything we wanted.

“As well as that, I’m probably more delighted with certain elements of our play. Tonight, we looked like a team who look quite hard to fluster at the moment. We have had three Premiership games now where we have gone down to relatively early scores - and actually it hasn’t really diverted us. If anything, it’s strengthened our resolve and we’ve improved from conceding those points.

“Yes, it’s a little frustrating for me to concede early like we have - and I’d like the defensive set the second time Leicester got into our 22 to have started the game, I really would, but that is what we are learning all the time. We feel there is a little bit more in us from the start, but, as I said, we don’t get diverted or don’t get stressed out when we go down a few points.

“I think what the players understand is that if they keep working at what we do, we will create some good moments and that is what we saw today. We created some good moments and we capitalised on them.”

Indeed, the Chiefs were ruthless both in attack and defence and silenced the Welford Road faithful with a display that ultimately yielded maximum reward.

“We made some errors when we went down to 14,” continued Baxter. “We had some good possession and kicked the ball away in the corner that we didn’t need to do and that took a little bit of pressure off Leicester. We then went to the other end of the field, we conceded a try and then we let them back there again.

“After that we got the yellow card for Geoff [Parling], but I suppose it’s a sign of where the players are at the moment. For me, I have to give them huge credit for the fact that we didn’t just buckle. It would have been easy to buckle, give up another penalty and concede a penalty try, instead we actually kept fighting.

“That is what they understand now. They now individually if they keep fighting, collectively we are a very good unit and they are just getting on with their jobs very well.”

Despite making a handful of changes to the side that beat Newcastle Falcons the week previous, the Chiefs were once again running smoothly, particularly at half-back where Slade was partnered by Townsend, who capped his first-ever Premiership start with a first half try.

Fly-half Slade had been released from the England squad earlier in the week, but he gave watching head coach Eddie Jones a timely reminder of his skill set, producing a sumptuous display spearheading the Chiefs attack.

“I think you saw today that Henry is a very good player,” said Baxter. “For us it’s not a massive issue if he plays at 10,12 or 13, we just want to get a good player on the field. He’s a tough competitor, decent carrier, puts people in space, so he has all the attributes to play at 10 or 12.

“For us it’s not a drama for us to shift him around. It wasn’t a drama for us to put Stu Townsend into the starting line-up tonight, he had a very good game in what was his first-ever Premiership start at Welford Road. We’ve not said too much about it this week, but that’s a fantastic achievement. Having Joe and Sam Simmonds on the bench for the first time in the Premiership, that’s another fantastic achievement, and it’s those kind of things that are the important markers for us.

“I think where I have to give the more established players within the squad credit is that they are not looking around for excuses and thinking we’ve got young players in the side, instead they are just getting on with it, working hard and doing the job asked of them.”

Among those leading from the front was former Tigers star Parling, who capped an eye-catching display by being awarded BT Sport’s Man of the Match.

Baxter hailed the lock’s contribution, adding: “Geoff has been very good this week, very focused, and we know it was an important game for him. We’ve been thinking that in the last three or four years we’ve probably not shown our best here at Welford Road and I think that has been a disappointment for guys like Geoff, Julian Salvi and Thomas Waldrom.

“We’ve not really come here and done well, so to come here and do well like we have today is a nice little present for them.  Bigger picture, though, five points at Leicester, second in the table, that is an even bigger reward.”