Western Morning News (Saturday)
‘Reset’ Chiefs are ready to start the season again
Baxter goes strong as Exeter get back to Premiership action at Worcester Warriors
ROB Baxter has used the twoweek break in Exeter Chiefs’ fixture schedule to mentally and physically reset as they look to get their Premiership campaign back on track at Worcester Warriors today.
Back-to-back defeats to Bristol Bears and Wasps, two serious top four competitors, saw Exeter fall off the top of the table for the first time this season and down to third place.
Top flight rugby has come through a two-week, covid-enforced break due to French clubs not being allowed to compete in Europe and Baxter says he has used the time to reflect and learn from his mistakes.
Baxter said: “My biggest mistake has not been resetting from last season, because in reality we rolled straight into the next season and won four games on the bounce with bonus points.
“But generally during the off-season people get the previous campaign out of their system and when you meet up everyone is fresh again, but with the Covid scenarios, the first time the players met up this season was two and half weeks later for their first day of training.
“We have taken time to draw our breath, clear our heads, we know there are challenges ahead but I would like to think this [game against Worcester Warriors] will feel like our first game of the season.
“I think the games so far were a follow on from last season.
“I would like to think this is where we start fighting for our Premiership title again this week.”
Having described his side as having an ‘emotional wobble’ in January, and expressed his concern they were ‘waiting for a big game’ Baxter explained why he thinks Chiefs haven’t been firing on all cylinders.
He said: “I think our biggest challenge this season is not going from winning a couple of finals, having a short pre-season and then going again physically, it is mentally resetting and admitting things change when you win a European Cup and the Premiership in the space of a week.
“Things do change and you need to reset and refocus on what the future needs to look like and I think this last couple of weeks has allowed us to talk about that a little freer without the pressure of having a game at the weekend.
“We have sat down and asked for the players’ input, we have gathered that together and had a couple of good coaches meetings and we have had a decent meeting across the whole group about what this should look like.
“It feels like it has given us a new start point. We have got challenges, the whole season is different but it is the same for everyone.”
Baxter’s words sound like an enormous warning for 11th-place Worcester Warriors, but the Exeter boss knows victory at Sixways will certainly not come easy against a highly physical outfit. While Chiefs blew away Worcester 59-7 at Sandy Park back in August when the sides last met, the narrow 24-20 away win last season was a much tighter affair.
Baxter said: “Every Premiership team is a tough side. We have beaten every team in the Premiership but we have also lost to every team in the Premiership, that is how it works.
“I think Worcester have played very well against us in the last two or three years and that is why this is an exciting return to the Premiership because we actually have to be, we can’t go up there and be half cocked or suffering any emotional issues.
“We have got to fire into this like it is the first game of the season and everything is on the line, that is the talk in our preparations for the week.”