Chiefs transformed after red card - Baxter

By Mark Stevens
12/6/21

Rob Baxter says it will be ‘all or nothing’ for his Exeter Chiefs side when they play host to Sale Sharks in next Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership play-offs.

These two rivals will lock horns for a second successive week after the defending champions produced another rousing second half showing to ensure they will have home advantage in the last four.

Not only did they overcome a 19-3 deficit, but they had to do it for the final quarter with just 14 men following the sending off of Scottish international Sam Skinner for a high tackle on Sale’s South African scrum-half Faf De Klerk.

From being in a position of uphill struggle, the dismissal seemed to transform the Chiefs, who hit back with tries from Luke Cowan-Dickie and Stu Townsend, as well 10 points from the boot of skipper Joe Simmonds.

That was enough to chalk out the earlier Sale scores from Byron McGuigan, AJ MacGinty and Aaron Reed, two of which were converted.

"We were a team that was transformed by a red card," said Baxter at the final whistle. "Last week (against Northampton) we got transformed by an 18-0 trouncing at half-time, this week it was a red card.

"It just shows you that when we have nowhere to go and we have to stand and fight, we are a good side.I am kind of hoping we have been in a bit of a phoney war until now. The last two or three weeks there has always been another game. All of a sudden, there is nothing else.

"If we don't want to turn up from minute one next week, the season is gone - and I genuinely do think that will change us and give us a real direction and purpose. Once we've got a real direction and purpose, we look a very, very good team."

Sale, seeking a first Premiership final appearance for 15 years, will return to Devon next weekend, yet one more try when they led 19-3 and keeping the Chiefs at a safe distance would have meant the game going to the north-west instead.

"To come out and win that game, given the position we were in, there are not many teams that are going to do that," Baxter said. "It's a great credit to the players.

"But it is going to run out if we keep thinking we can shift our game so much from half to half, because sooner or later, teams are not going to let us do that. It is a semi-final now, an all or nothing game."