Rob Baxter names two England bolters in his Exeter squad

Rob Baxter has seen few shining lights in largely a season to forget for the Exeter Chiefs, but he has challenged one of them, Josh Hodge, to prove he is more than a bolter for an under-strength England tour in a Lions year.

Hodge has scored 14 tries in 24 games for the Chiefs this season, and combined with a more than useful contribution with the boot, he is being spoken of as a potential bolter for England’s tour of Argentina and the USA.

The former England U20 international, who has scored 27 tries for the Chiefs in 82 games, has become their first-choice full-back for much of this season.

He has also operated on the wing in the absence of Olly Woodburn and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in the second half of the campaign, and Baxter admits that he is improving rapidly.

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“He is a bit like Paul Brown-Bampoe. He is a guy that you could potentially label as a bit of a bolter because, again, England aren’t short of options in the back three.

“And I think that Josh is one of those guys who still has elements of his game that he is working on all the time. One thing he has got is outstanding pace. His attacking ability is improving all of the time.

“A year ago, he wouldn’t have made the pass for Paul Brown-Bampoe’s try against Bath when he made that outside break. It’s an inch-perfect pass because if he doesn’t hit Paul in his stride, he probably doesn’t score that try.

“Last season, he wasn’t even carrying the ball in two hands. It just shows that he is developing all the time. But there have been a few high balls that he hasn’t claimed.

“That’s a little bit to work on when he is playing full-back in particular. But he is the same as a lot of our guys; he has got an awful lot of talent and ability, but we have to keep on rounding off the edges with them.

“We have got to give them lots of opportunities to practise and develop and round off their games. Once we start to round off these guys, you can see that we have got a very talented side.

“Instead of talking about Josh Hodge as a bolter, we have got to work hard on him, and he has to work hard enough to be an ironed-on England player,” said Baxter.