'Table is a little false' - Rob Baxter eyes away win for Exeter Chiefs after taking lessons from Bristol Bears test
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Updated 05/11/2023 at 18:52 GMT
Exeter Chiefs shot to the summit of the Gallagher Premiership table with a bonus-point win over Bristol Bears on Sunday. However, Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter admitted the "table is a little false" as his side have won three home games and lost their only away match so far this season. Baxter also thinks Exeter learned more from their battle against The Bears than by thrashing Sale Sharks.
xeter Chiefs' Director of Rugby Rob Baxter during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Bears at Sandy Park on November 5, 2023 in Exeter, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
Exeter Chiefs learned more by battling to victory over Bristol Bears than they did by thrashing Sale Sharks a week earlier, according to director of rugby Rob Baxter.
The Chiefs had to dig deep to seal a 29-20 victory at Sandy Park on Sunday that sent them top of the Gallagher Premiership table.
A hat-trick from Bristol full-back Rich Lane kept the visitors in the game until a late Henry Slade penalty finally gave Exeter some breathing room.
It was a third home win of the season for Exeter, coming on the back of an impressive 43-0 thrashing of last season’s runners-up Sale a week earlier.
“We scored a bonus-point win, which we struggled to find at any point last season,” Baxter said.
“I think on the whole we handled things pretty well. It was a lot of little bits and pieces that didn’t quite add up today.
“I just said to the lads that coming through today is probably a bigger learning point for us than last week.
“We got everything right last week in terms of intensity, and that just created everything for us.
“Today our intensity maybe wasn’t quite as good but that created more of a challenge in the game and so we were tested in more ways, and that can only be good for our development.”
Exeter sit top of the standings after four rounds with 15 points, thanks to three home wins against Saracens, Sale and Bristol.
However, they lost their only game on the road so far, a trip to Harlequins in Round 2, and Baxter isn’t paying too much attention to the table yet as he prepares to travel to Northampton Saints next on Sunday, November 12 - live on TNT Sports.
“We’re glad to be there. We know we’ve got bigger challenges ahead but if we keep growing, that’s all I can ask the lads to do,” Baxter said.
“We planned on trying to get as good a start as we could. That’s why we played a front-line group through the Premiership Cup, to get them game ready.
“That’s proved to be pretty effective for us. So now we move into the longer game management, of how these guys can keep doubling up.
“We’ve yet to win away from home. We have three home wins, so the table is a little false for us in terms of home and away fixtures.
“But next week is a big challenge for us and one we’re keen to knock over.”
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