Euro win delights Baxter
By Mark Stevens
15/10/17
Exeter Chiefs Director of Rugby, Rob Baxter, was full of praise for his side as they kicked off their European Champions Cup campaign with victory over Glasgow Warriors at Sandy Park.
Tries from Harry Williams, Jonny Hill and Sam Simmonds helped pave the way to a 24-15 success, while a further nine points from the boot of Gareth Steenson ensured the reigning Aviva Premiership champions were given an ideal start to their Pool 3 fixtures.
In reply, Glasgow - who stormed into an early 10-0 lead thanks to a converted Tommy Seymour try and a penalty from Finn Russell - proved a constant thorn in the side of the Chiefs, but despite adding a second half try through Lee Jones, they could not prevent the Devonians from collecting only their second-ever, first round success in the Champions Cup.
Post-match, Baxter quickly lavished the plaudits on his players for fine, all-round display. He said: “The important thing from our perspective is that we got the four points and we got the win in that first round, which we all know is vital.
“Ahead of the game we had put ourselves under a little bit of pressure, talking about not starting pool games well previously - and that this was going to be an important start point for us. Thankfully, we have come through that test tonight.
“What I liked was we have dealt with the emotional baggage or emotional issues of not showing ourselves at out best in the past; we’ve also dealt with the first ten minutes where we didn’t get out of blocks as well as Glasgow. To come through and not only get the win, but also deny them anything out of the game, it’s given us a great foothold in this pool.
“Now, we’ve got eight eight days to recharge ourselves, both emotionally and physically, to perform again.”
Indeed, next up for the Chiefs is Sunday’s trip to French giants Montpellier, who themselves kicked off their European season with a 24-17 defeat to Leinster in Dublin.
Baxter added: “There have been two home wins in our pool, so in that respect we ourselves and Leinster have got job one done. Now, if we can pick something up away from home next week, we are potentially a team who are getting quite a bit out of this first round of fixtures.
“What I said to the guys is we don’t want to be a team chasing too hard after two rounds. Instead, we have to get ourselves ready for another big performance over in France, knowing going there flat out into the game can be really valuable for us.”
With Exeter’s pack of forwards once again in impressive form, the work up front not only brought about three tries, but gave the hosts a perfect springboard from which to implement their game against the Warriors, who arrived in Devon having won all of their six fixtures in the Guinness Pro 14 League this season.
“Before the game we talked to the players and asked them to be themselves and show the qualities that show every week in the Premiership - and I thought they did that really well out there tonight,” explained Baxter.“I know people will be thinking about us not taking kicks at goal and going for the corner instead, but that is what we do.
“We create pressure and exert pressure over a long period and we back ourselves to ultimately come through in the end. Tonight, that’s exactly what happened, we came through over the course of the 80 minutes.
“We controlled large periods of the game and although it was a bit harum scarum at times, Glasgow are a good side you have to remember, overall we did most things well.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s trip across the English Channel, Baxter noted that he expects to a see a response from their French hosts, who themselves will be looking to get their campaign back on track, despite picking up a crucial losing point at the RDS.
“The team that will be in charge of the pool is that team that gets something next week away from home. For sure, the home teams will be demanding of themselves to get a win to keep themselves alive, but equally we will be demanding of ourselves to get something out of the game to make sure we keep moving forward.
“I think it should be a fantastic Round Two. Moving from two home games and two home wins to different opposition should not only be interesting, but it will be brutal and exciting as well. As I said, we have dealt with today and now we must focus on next week as that will give us a chance to get through these first two rounds and still be in a progressive position in the pool.”