'We face new challenges' - Baxter

By Mark Stevens
30/10/16

Rob Baxter says he and his Exeter Chiefs side will need to brace themselves for new challenges ahead after they were undone right at the death by Bath in their latest Aviva Premiership encounter.

Not for the first time this season, the Devon club were unable to close out victory in the latter stages, this time stung by a converted Semesa Rokoduguni try seven minutes into added on time at Sandy Park.

The England international’s score, converted by fly-half George Ford, sealed a 13-10 victory for Bath and condemned the Chiefs to a fourth league defeat in seven starts this season.

Post-match, Baxter admitted the loss was tough to take, particularly given the defiant display his players had shown for much of the contest, but Exeter’s failure to kill the game off again came back to haunt them in the latter stages.

"The game very quickly became a pretty confrontational battle that had some errors in it," said Baxter. "I wouldn't think either team would have been massively pleased with the rugby, but both teams would have been really pleased with the commitment of the players and the physical endeavor they've put out on the field.

"Fair play to Bath, they showed that bit more resilience to edge a close game, so you've got to give them great credit for that.

"I am disappointed and I am frustrated but, in some ways, if you lose a game like that and you look at the table right now, with the results we've had, you can start to set yourselves some new challenges, in a way.

"When I mean that, I don't mean we're going to give up on having a good season, but the challenges now are a little bit more like a test of character, first and foremost.

“When you have a tight game, there's lots of things you can do, and one of the things most people do is that they start looking for some kind of excuse - the one refereeing decision, one bounce of the ball or whatever, and you can find all sorts of ways to make you feel better. Or you can actually sit down and look at yourself and ask what more you can do for those tight games to go your way.

"And I think that's the way I'd like us to attack it - that's what I'd like the players to do and what I'll ask them to do. If we can just do a bit more in training, then it will soon start to add up - little bits and pieces soon start to add up."

With only a Gareth Steenson penalty separating the two sides at the interval, Bath stole in front early in the second half when Ford slotted two penalties to give his side a slender advantage.

The Chiefs, however, rallied and when Mitch Lees was propelled over the whitewash from a powerful driving maul for their only try, converted by Steenson, it put the Chiefs in charge with less than ten minutes remaining.

Steenson had the chance to stretch their four-point lead further with a penalty chance, but the normally deadly fly-half was unable to land the crucial kick, allowing Bath a glimmer of hope going into the dying embers of the contest.

As the game moved deep into injury time, Todd Blackadder’s side made the most of one last throw of the dice, working the ball out to Rokoduguni, who shook off the attentions of two home defenders to score the all-important, match-winning score.

“I just said to the lads that this next period is going to be a real test of character,” continued Baxter. “Some of you will come through really strong and make us a better team, but others will still think there is an excuse out there and just tick along.

“As a club this kind of challenge that we face is that next step we have to take.   Last season we were able to get on a nice roll, but this is a different challenge. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a unique one, just because during our time in the Premiership, I think in the past we would have been delighted to get that close to Bath.

“Right now it just feels like we need to push on and challenge ourselves, both individually and as a club, and see what we are going to to do about it.

“Nothing needs massively fixing, but I want us to push on. I don’t want us to put in the same level of performance another week and we win and think everything is OK, I don’t want to do that, I want us to be angry about losing to Bath and say we going to do something about it.

“And for me the only one way to be positive is to think if Bath come here again, we want to beat them, it’s as simple as that.”