Exeter must learn to avoid ‘meltdown mode’ Repeat, says Baxter

Director admits title holders went off track mentally as desperation tactics allowed Leinster to cash in on blunders

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Rob Baxter, the Exeter director of rugby, believes Leinster’s big-game experience played a decisive role in his side’s quarter-final defeat.

While Exeter entered the game as the title holders, four-time champions Leinster possess far greater European pedigree. That showed as

Exeter struggled to maintain momentum, aside from two purple patches at the start of each half. During the first, they built an immediate 14-0 lead, through a pair of tries by Tom O’flaherty. After Dave Ewers had crashed over from a maul, a Joe Simmonds penalty at the start of the second half nudged them 22-20 in front, but that proved to be their final score.

Leinster dominated thereafter and, by Baxter’s own admission, Exeter went into “meltdown mode” in the final quarter, when they were trailing by only eight points. They turned down a shot at goal to reduce the deficit to a score, and made a succession of uncharacteristic unforced errors.

“When you are in that desperation mode to win games, mentally, you can just go off track,” Baxter said. “We almost needed another break with 20 minutes to go. Those moments added up today, whether it was our defending on the edge, which let us down a couple of times, breakdown penalties, missed lineouts. Normally we would like to say we are the team that creates that pressure in most areas of the game, but today it added up for Leinster.

“This was only our third quarterfinal. I think it was Leinster’s 17th or 18th. Ultimately, we set ourselves high standards, we want to be very good in Europe, but it takes more than one go. We have to decide whether we are going to be back in these type of games over and over again, because that’s how those trophies get added up. You have to keep going at it.”

Exeter and Leinster were evenly matched on a lot of stats, with Exeter enjoying 51 per cent possession and 48 per cent territory.

However, Leinster dominated the set-piece battle, winning 100 per cent of their own ball, while Exeter lost four of their 14 line-outs and two of their four scrums.

Given that English clubs have won four of the past five Champions

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Cups, the lack of a representative in the semi-finals for the second time since 2013 should not be a cause for undue panic, particularly in this strange year.

“Without doubt, this season is challenging for us in a way that we have never had to deal with before,” Baxter said.

“Never had to deal with going into Europe on the back of coming in from a three-month camp. Jonny Hill and Henry Slade had featured in two games before last week’s European round because they have been away with England.

“On the whole, there are big chunks of your squad whom you have not seen for nearly the whole

‘This season is a challenge for us in a way we have never had to deal with before’

season. That has created more of a challenge.”

If this counted as a final audition for British and Irish Lions places, then it was Leinster’s cubs who seized their chance. Full-back Hugo Keenan, hooker Ronan Kelleher and No 8 Jack Conan all laid down markers against more celebrated opposite numbers. Sam Simmonds picked the wrong moment to have his quietest game in some time.

Baxter says he will give his side time to digest their defeat before their sights turn back to the Premiership, in which Exeter have lost the sheen of their all-conquering aura in recent weeks. All the physical tests reveal that Exeter’s players are in a good place. The question is whether the Chiefs can rediscover their inner drive after such a crushing disappointment.

“I think we are going to accelerate through the season,” Baxter said. “That’s the plan anyway. The key is whether we can do that mentally. I am sure we can do it physically, but it is whether we can do it mentally.

“We have got a very disappointed changing room. We can talk about moving on with league rugby, but we have to let this settle a bit first, we can talk about it. Let’s go hard for two rounds of rugby now, and then we will have a break. Then we can start to redefine the season based on the last seven to eight games.”