'We had a team of Welsh officials who got so much abuse...'
With Montpellier due at Sandy Park this Saturday in the latest opening round to a Champions Cup campaign, long-serving Exeter boss Rob Baxter has been reflecting on his club’s rich history of featuring in Europe ever since their 2010 promotion to the Premiership got them qualified to take part. Exeter went on to rule the continent, memorably defeating Racing in the 2019/20 decider that was held in Bristol. That was in the Champions Cup, the tournament they have participated in on eight occasions.
However, their three seasons in the second-tier Challenge Cup have never been forgotten about, Baxter especially vividly remembering their first-ever away game, an October 2010 trip to Bourgoin, the French outfit who were then Top 14 regulars but who have since fallen on hard times.
Exeter came away from that maiden voyage with a 34-19 win, a success that Baxter speaks as highly of now as he does about any of his team’s excellent successes since then in the Champions Cup.
“That first trip to Bourgoin probably opened everybody’s eyes – all the coaches, all the players, everybody – because when you walk out onto the field and you are walking through a tunnel, a metal tunnel, because of the things that get thrown at you by the French crowd.
“You kind of go, ‘Right’ and you kind of realise that this is going to be different. And to be fair, we played really well. We actually had a team of Welsh officials who got so much abuse all through the game – they got more abuse than we did, do you know what I mean? But they kind of stood there and they officiated the game and we won, and we had an amazing night, ironically, with all the French supporters and it was brilliant.
“I know we continually get brought up as the team, but there were 10 other Premiership clubs who were pretty annoyed as well." #EXEvSAR https://t.co/njxjwmMEoo
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 4, 2021
“Those are things that can really energise you as a side about what you want to be involved in… you don’t forget those memories. We have had an opportunity to do very well in it in the past and we have got to use those experiences to drive us onto something special this year because if we get to the level we know we can play at, we know we can be very competitive against everybody.”
Exeter also defeated La Rochelle and Toulouse in their title-winning season, adding the scalp of Lyon last term to further highlight how they have got the knack of defeating French opposition at this level, so what is the secret to success, coach Baxter?
“Any time you play a French team, you have just got to halt that momentum that then allows an off-load and someone getting their hands free and then the second bit of momentum and that kind of feeling that everything is going to stick. That is the thing you have got to try to knock down as quickly as you can. When you do that, then that is when you start to see the error count start and frustration start to rise.
“So, the 80-minute game plan is relatively simple, it’s just fitting all the bits and pieces around your lineout defence, your structures, your attack structures and how you keep the ball against them that create that overall picture. We are relatively comfortable with the overall picture we need to create against French teams and that is why we are really looking forward to it.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments