Sarries win delights Baxter
By Mark Stevens
5/3/18
Rob Baxter praised his Exeter Chiefs side after they extended their lead at the top of the Aviva Premiership to seven points with victory against visiting Saracens.
The defending champions backed up their win against Northampton Saints by inflicting a telling blow on the Londoners, who dropped to third following a second successive loss.
The Chiefs led 14-12 at the break thanks to three penalties from fly-half Joe Simmonds and a try from full-back Phil Dollman, but the visitors remained in touch thanks to tries from Ben Earl and Schalk Brits.
After the break it remained just as tight between the two sides, before the Chiefs pulled clear in the final quarter, sealing victory with a fourth penalty from Simmonds and a penalty try.
“I’m pleased for the players,” said Baxter post-game. “The truth is a fair bit of the issues we had last week [against Northampton], that nervy, edgy performance was almost created by the pressure the players put on themselves.
“Every time they play they want to do well, they want to perform well, and it was just a case of them feeling they are not performing at the levels they want to be. That said, sometimes it is the biggest challenges that bring out the most honest performances in you - and that’s kind ofhow it felt today.
“The players have trained very well for the last three or four weeks and they’ve committed a lot to training. As we thought, it may take a couple of weeks for everything to kick in, but I thought the challenge of Saracens coming here today really brought the best out of us and we thrived on the pressure.”
Among the highlights from the day was the display of Simmonds, who was making his first Premiership start of the season, replacing the more experienced Gareth Steenson in the number ten jersey.
“I was pleased for Joe for the way he played and how he performed,” added Baxter. “ I was also pleased what it brought out in the team because it showed - and I include Gareth Steenson in this - the way they helped Joe prepare for the game. Together they laid a lot of foundation around how we wanted to play.
“I thought Nic White was very good and he gave Joe really high quality from inside him, then the guys outside him - Henry Slade was very influential in this - gave him lots of options as well. Also, the pack of forwards were excellent all game and they gave him a lot of front foot ball to work with.”
With just five rounds of the regular season to go, Baxter acknowledged the importance of Sunday’s win in helping to ensure his side have home advantage in a potential play-off semi-final.
“I’m sure both sides will take something from the game,” continued the Chiefs coach. “Both will know the challenges the opposition offer, both individually and collectively, and if we play each other again that is what we will have to force through again next time.
“For now, what we have to show is the will to stand up and fight and show the qualities we have to drive through between now and the end of the season. Those need to be there whoever we play. That is all I can drive as a coach, but we need to lay it all out on the field whoever we play.”