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'I said to the players that they probably made me a bit disappointed... I know we are better than that'
Exeter boss Rob Baxter did not hide his disappointment after seeing the Chiefs suffer a 34-18 Gallagher Premiership defeat against Gloucester at Kingsholm.
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Baxter made 11 changes to the team that beat Leicester last weekend, with four players making their first Premiership starts.
The Chiefs face Heineken Champions Cup last-16 opponents Lyon next Saturday, then a possible home quarter-final with Leinster, which undoubtedly influenced selection.
But it proved a frustrating experience for Baxter as Gloucester ended his side’s three-match winning run in bonus-point fashion.
“I said to the players that they probably made me a bit disappointed with the first-half performance, and then to see us drop away in the second-half, I know we are better than that,” he said.
“We had some heroic moments, but the reality is that as much we love heroics as rugby coaches, the problem with them is they’ve come because we are doing something wrong.
“If we are having to chase back and make last-ditch tackles, then it is going wrong somewhere else, and I thought in the end we just couldn’t keep that level of last-ditch play up.
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“That is a little frustrating. Yes, I understand the scenario, yes, I made changes, but as I said to the players ‘well done, you have worked hard, but we haven’t won a game of rugby’.
“The reality is we are double champions and our standards have got to be very high if we want to maintain that place within the game.
“Any game is about how you step forward and how you move on. I don’t think there is anything wrong with being disappointed.
"I ticked off a few physical goals that I had been wanting to ever since I had started at the club"
– Set to turn 22 on April 7, @FraserDingwall_ tells @heagneyl 👨💻 about his accelerated development in recent times#WORvNOR #GallagherPremhttps://t.co/x4L9XnK7F0
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 27, 2021
“My job is when it’s tough, to be even tougher, and that’s what it feels I have got to be like tonight.”
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Gloucester recorded only their fourth Premiership victory of the season, prevailing through hooker Henry Walker’s try double, a Charlie Chapman touchdown and late penalty try that secured a bonus point, while fly-half George Barton kicked 12 points.
Full-back Josh Hodge and flanker Don Armand scored tries for the Chiefs, while Harvey Skinner kicked two penalties and a conversion.
Gloucester head coach George Skivington said: “We are building nicely. There are loads of positives.
The Andy Powell, Victor Matfield story which will make you realise just how mad Barbarians rugby is 🤣 @andypowell8 pic.twitter.com/YnfCc07WHt
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 27, 2021
“There has been a core group of lads working extremely hard over the last couple of months, and the boys are getting good at managing scenarios in games.
“We have been close to delivering that sort of result a couple of times, and we have fallen short.
“We have addressed that and talked about it, and I thought we finished the game off in style tonight.
“We have got young Gloucester players on the field, they are getting exposed, they are getting experience. It’s great to see.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
15 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
15 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
15 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to comments