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Rob Baxter's reaction to being dumped out of Europe by Leinster

By PA
Exeter Chiefs v Leinster Rugby – Heineken Champions Cup – Quarter Final – Sandy Park

Exeter boss Rob Baxter was left to reflect on what might have been after seeing his team’s Heineken Champions Cup defence ended by Leinster.

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The holders were knocked out after tournament heavyweights Leinster won a titanic quarter-final 34-22 at Sandy Park.

Leinster remain on course for a record fifth European title, consigning the Chiefs to a last-eight exit as English representation in this season’s competition ended.

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Dan Biggar – All Access

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Dan Biggar – All Access

“We had a great first 10 minutes, then the momentum shifted away for a fair chunk of time,” Baxter said.

“Half-time let us just settle down, and we started the second half really well and got ourselves right back into contention.

“The bigger story of the game – and you have got to give Leinster credit – was they kept an intensity in most areas that meant we never really settled, and that’s great credit to them and probably a little frustrating from us.

“You could probably see the times when we just went off-script, and we started going from side to side and got turned over. Three or four times we got in really good shape, we scored tries.

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“And I think that is the thing that will frustrate us the most when we review the game. When we actually played, we created quite a lot of pressure on Leinster.

“A lot of that is credit to Leinster, but some of it we will be very frustrated and disappointed about. The moments added up.

“Normally, we would like to say we are the team that creates that pressure in most areas and it adds up for us, but today it added up for Leinster.”

Only Leinster, Leicester, Toulon and Saracens have successfully defended the European Cup in its 26-year history.

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And that sizeable task proved beyond Exeter as their Irish conquerors triumphed through Jordan Larmour’s try double, his fellow wing James Lowe’s first-half touchdown, plus 17 points from Ross Byrne.

Byrne replaced Leinster and Ireland captain Johnny Sexton, who kicked an early conversion but went off in the 28th minute before failing a head injury assessment.

Exeter led by 14 points inside the first 10 minutes following two tries by wing Tom O’Flaherty, both converted by Joe Simmonds, but their only further scores were a Dave Ewers try and Simmonds penalty as Leinster’s imperious European pedigree was once again shown off to maximum effect.

Baxter added: “The last 20 minutes were frustrating because we went into chase-the-game-down mode with a scoreboard that said it didn’t need to be done.

“This was only our third quarter-final – I think it was Leinster’s 16th. You have to keep going and keep going at it.

“I have got a very disappointed changing room in there.”

Leinster will be joined by three French teams in the last four after they moved a step closer to another possible European crown.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen, who confirmed that Sexton will follow graduated return to play protocols, said: “We had a shaky start, which we did in our last (European) quarter-final (against Saracens).

“But the players showed enormous composure, and it was a great squad effort to get there today.

“Ross Byrne was so composed all the way through – he steered us around the field – and was excellent after he went on.”

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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