Baxter's delight as Chiefs progress
By Mark Stevens
13/10/19
Rob Baxter was full of praise for his Exeter Chiefs side as they wrapped up their pre-season programme with a 42-19 victory over Bristol Bears at Sandy Park.
With the new Gallagher Premiership campaign set to get underway next Saturday, the Devonians will head into their seasonal opener against Harlequins safe in the knowledge they will have a home semi-final - against the same opponents - to look forward to in the Premiership Rugby Cup in February.
The Chiefs made it three wins from four in the Cup, producing a dominant display that yielded tries for Jonny Hill, Jack Maunder, Harry Williams, Sam Simmonds, Dave Dennis and Marcus Street. Fly-half Joe Simmonds converted five of those scores with Gareth Steenson adding the extras to Exeter’s final try.
In reply, the Bears - who will kick-off their season with a derby encounter against Bath at Ashton Gate this Friday - countered with tries from Jack Bates, Tom Pincus and Ollie Capon, but it was never enough to dent the strength of a powerful Chiefs outfit.
Post-game, Director of Rugby Baxter was quick to give a positive assessment of his side’s showing. He said: “Obviously we’re very pleased, particularly with the first half display. I thought we did some things that we have worked on in pre-season around keeping some attacking momentum and just staying on top of the opposition.
“At times, I thought we did that really well and we got our rewards for it. Obviously, there are some work-ons there, but from a coaching perspective you do need to have some things to focus on over the week.”
Having used the four-week Cup block to get game time into the majority of his squad, including giving first starts of the season to both Jonny Hill and Sam Simmonds, Baxter will have some decent selection to ponder this coming week.
“It was great to see Jonny Hill come in and score with virtually his first touch of the game - and it was great to see Sam Simmonds on the ball and looking sharp,” added Baxter. “When I look at today’s game, we had some real positives, not just collectively, but individually as well. For me, that bodes very well for the future.
“At the same time, we are aware that was a mix and match Bristol side, but we can only do what we can do. The important thing for us is that we stay in the fight in every competition for as long as we can. Today’s result means we are still in the fight in this one.”
As Baxter eluded to, the Chiefs were particularly dominant during the first 40 minutes and by the break they had already secured the try bonus point. Bristol did improve during the second half, but it was the home side who finished the stronger, sealing a comfortable victory with a first-ever try for young prop Street.
“At half time we talked about the easy thing would be to almost take it easy and see our way through the game,” explained Baxter. “Actually, it’s still pre-season and it’s about improving as a team and getting ready for the Premiership next week. As we said to the guys, the most important thing was just to try and drive the intensity. Although I thought we were a little off at times in the second half, overall we put in some pretty high intensity moments, which what will really prepare us for those tough games to come.”
Next up for the Chiefs will be Paul Gustard’s Harlequins side, who themselves topped Pool B in the competition, setting them up with a visit to Sandy Park in the New Year. Baxter is aware of the threat the Londoners will pose and has issued a timely warning to his squad.
“It’s always nice to be winning games of rugby, nice to be keep some flow at home, and nice to keep the supporters feeling positives about things,” added Baxter. “Next week, though, will be a big challenge. Harlequins have had a pretty good run through this competition as well and they have a strong squad. We’ve watched a few of their games now on video, so we know it’s going to be a challenge.
“They have got pace; excitement and they seem to be enjoying what they are doing. Since Paul has been there, the one thing you notice is they feel very comfortable with themselves and that makes any team dangerous. At the same time, we’re a dangerous side and we look comfortable with what we are doing. It’s going to be a nice start to the season for all of us, but I think we will all know more of where we stand come the end of next week.”