Baxter backs Slade despite missed kicks in Bath defeat
Exeter head coach Rob Baxter has defended Henry Slade after missed kicks contributed to a loss at Bath, insisting there's no need to panic over the club's winless start to the season.
Exeter have yet to win a match this season, following a surprise home defeat to Gloucester last week and a further loss away at Bath, where missed kicks from Henry Slade proved costly.
Despite the difficult start, head coach Rob Baxter has urged calm, saying the team shouldn't feel pressured into believing it must grab maximum points on the road this early in the campaign to remain competitive by season's end.
Baxter explained that he would actually be more concerned if the squad felt it had to secure a full haul of points in just the second game of the season. Instead, his focus is on consistent, high-quality performances week after week, which naturally build the team's points tally over the course of the season.
He pointed to last season as proof this approach works — Exeter reached the Premiership final, only to lose to Northampton at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium. According to Baxter, replicating that same steady, performance-first mentality is exactly what the club needs to do again this year.
Despite the rocky opening weeks, the coach's message suggests the club intends to stick with its long-term strategy, prioritising sustained improvement over panic-driven reactions to early results.
