Baxter hails his Chiefs

 

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter hailed his side as "exceptional" as they maintained their unbeaten home record in the Aviva Premiership with a comprehensive 42-28 victory over Harlequins at Sandy Park.

Undone seven days earlier by Leicester Tigers at Welford Road, the Chiefs bounced back from that setback by producing their best display of the season so far to record maximum points against last season's top flight champions.

In an absorbing contest from start to finish, the Devon club not only ran in five tries through Brett Sturgess, Ben White, Jason Shoemark (2) and Sireli Naqelevuki, but had recalled fly-half Gareth Steenson in top form as he helped himself to a 17-point haul.

The victory not only allowed the Chiefs to

register their third success of the campaign, but it also gave them the perfect send-off ahead of their forthcoming Heineken Cup trip to reigning holders Leinster this Saturday.

In response Harlequins countered with tries from Nick Evans, Ugo Monye and Karl Dickson, plus kicks from Evans and Rory Clegg, but it was not enough to thwart a rampaging Exeter side.

"That today was a fantastic game of rugby," remarked a delighted Baxter afterwards. "You had two sides out there who were not only looking to play rugby, but who were going at each other hammer and tongs for 80 minutes. In the end we've come out on top and got what I think we deserved for our efforts, which is very pleasing.

"The other most pleasing thing from my perspective is that it was a great mental challenge for us as well - not just because of losing last week at Leicester - but also because of the way the game went. For me, today is kind of what Premiership Rugby is all about. One week you get a little bit wrong, but then the next week you get a bit more right and you can make things turn your way.

"That said, I thought the attitude of our players today was fantastic. At times I kind of think we had to weather a few storms out there because it was end-to-end stuff and the momentum kept see-sawing between both sides. The crucial thing, however, was that we never let any of that affect us.

"We went points up, we went points behind, and we also gave away a soft interception and put ourselves under pressure. However, that almost galvanised us in some ways because we didn't let anything dent us. Nothing seemed to hurt us out there today and that's one of the most important qualities a team can have."

With the Chiefs still licking their wounds following their latest loss at the Tigers, Baxter rung the changes ahead of kick-off bringing in Simon Alcott, Dean Mumm, White and Steenson all for their first starts of the season, whilst Phil Dollman was given the nod over Naqelevuki in the home midfield.

"I have to give massive credit to the players," added Baxter. "They've had a tough week and they were stung a bit after the Leicester game, but what have they done? They've come out and performed very well.

"Yes we made changes, but we obviously did something right. I think it's like anything, we have a strong squad here and we need to use it. Today we rested a few guys up and we made a few changes, but it shows the value of trusting everybody and it's maybe something we will have to look into a little bit more detail down the line.

"Previously we've tended to run very hard with the same group of players week in, week out, but today showed we have a real depth and quality to the squad. For Dean Mumm to come in and hit 80 minutes like he did, that's a big baptism for him and he probably thinks the Aviva Premiership is pretty easy.

"Also Steeno stepping in and putting in 80 minutes as well, especially after not playing a lot of rugby, is exceptional and you have to take your hat off to him. For me, though, it's not just about certain individuals, that was an exceptional team performance from us. To get five points against Harlequins and to have 16 points in the bag, I am very happy with all of that."

With the Chiefs positioned nicely in sixth spot, Baxter can now switch his attentions to that of Europe for the next two weeks with Leinster and Clermont Auvergne next on the agenda for his side, who he admits have done well during a testing opening block of Premiership fixtures.

"Looking at our points, I don't mind saying we are probably a little bit ahead of where I thought we would be," said Baxter. "I only say that purely because of the opposition we've played. We've had away fixtures at Leicester and Northampton and we've had Saracens and Harlequins here, so we've played last year's top four and we've done well.

"To have beaten two of them, it's a nice platform for us to push on from and it means I've also got to give the boys a little reward as well. I'm sure they will be after me now, but they deserve everything they get."