Match Reaction - Rob Baxter
By Mark Stevens
27/3/22
Rob Baxter says his Exeter Chiefs side have it ‘all to do’ if they are to reach this season’s Gallagher Premiership play-offs.
The Chiefs Director of Rugby watched on as his side suffered a 22-17 loss at home to Leicester Tigers, whose victory at Sandy Park assured them of one of the four play-off spots on offer.
First half tries from Chris Ashton and Freddie Steward helped the visitors to a 12-0 lead at the turn, before a second from Ashton early in the second half extended their lead to 19-0.
The former England international’s try double ensured he drew level on the all-time try-scoring charts for the Premiership with Tom Varndell with 92 touchdowns.
The Chiefs, however, rallied hard thereafter and cut the deficit with tries of their own from Dave Ewers and Patrick Schickerling, both of which were converted by skipper Joe Simmonds, whose late penalty ensured the hosts of a crucial losing bonus point.
Defeat for the Devonians means they remain in fourth spot on 57 points, two ahead of next-best Sale Sharks and three ahead of Gloucester, who have two games in hand on Baxter’s side.
However, Baxter knows with just four games remaining for his side in the regular season, they can ill-afford anymore slip-ups in their quest to extend their season into the knockout stages.
“It was a tough ask before today’s game, but it’s got even tougher now,” said a frustrated Baxter at the final whistle. “We’re in fourth at the minute, but Gloucester have games in hand on us which, if they win, they’ll overtake us and we can do nothing about that!
“For us, all we can do is focus on ourselves and what we can do, which is to try and get as many wins and as many points as we can from these last few games. It’s not going to be easy, we’ve got Bath, Saracens, Bristol and Harlequins, so we’re going to have to knuckle down in a few areas and do the best we can.”
Unforced errors and a hefty penalty count hardly helped the Chiefs in this latest encounter against the current table-toppers, but Baxter remains hopeful that his team can keep working hard and push right until the end of the season.
“If you watched that game, you wouldn’t necessarily say Exeter are a bad side and Leicester were clear winners, it wasn’t like that. My frustration is more than we’re giving things up too easily in basic areas. There was a period in the second half where we got some control and some momentum, yet we then either kicked the ball out on the full, dropped the ball, or just didn’t look after things like we should have.
“It was almost like anything we could do to kill our momentum, we would do, and that’s hurt us as much as anything. Leicester did what they did and they certainly did it better than we did. Watching us today, you’d probably go how many more times are Exeter going to give up opportunities?
“There were things we did today which, when we review the game again, we will ask questions of. However, the physical endeavour and the fight of the guys was there for all to see.”
The Chiefs welcomed back Jonny Gray, Sam Simmonds and Henry Slade from Six Nations duty and all were prominent during the course of the contest. That said, Baxter says the continual chopping and changing of his side through international call-ups, injuries and suspensions is hardly helping Exeter’s cause.
“It just feels like we go from week to week without really moving on,” he added. “We’re going okay, but we’re not pushing the team forward and that is playing a big part in how we are performing. I think by the time we get to those last two weekends of the season, I genuinely believe we could be a very good side, but I just don’t know how much we can afford to give up games like this before we don’t get there.”