Champions Cup: Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter urges troops to play with no regrets against Munster

Dylan Coetzee 06 Apr 2022 7:31 AM

Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter wants his side to play with no “regrets” when they welcome Munster to Sandy Park for their Champions Cup fixture this week.

Baxter has urged his players to realise that they can have a “golden” period and that they should do what they can with their opportunities.

However, a two-leg round of 16 clash against Munster will be a big test for Baxter’s men as they look to relive their European glory from 2020.

Big hurdle

“I would like to think we are going out there to be ourselves and just show the best of ourselves and not leave any regrets behind,” Baxter said.

“My biggest concern over the end of last season and probably a little bit of this season is that I don’t want the players walking away and maybe in 10 years’ time they look back and think ‘We could have had a couple of golden years following that double, and we didn’t really maximise the opportunities we had as a group’.

“That’s the one thing I am continually trying to fight against.

“I don’t want them to miss these opportunities to be the kind of team they can be, because I do know there is a lot more in us.”

For the first time in the competition’s history, the tie will use a two-leg format which could change the way teams approach the clash. Baxter believes that the move keeps both teams in the game after the first leg.

“You don’t want to be ahead or behind and concede late scores that could hurt you in the second leg, so there is a slightly different challenge there,” Baxter said.

“Every point and every minute is going to be very important. Any team that feels like they are getting the job done becomes in danger.

“No matter what happens in this first leg, unless it goes terribly wrong, nobody is going to be out of the competition.

“Champions Cup games at this level are traditionally fairly tight, so it is going to create some amazing spectacles in the following week.”

The 51-year-old expects a systematic wearing-down of his side from Munster, who are very good at maintaining extended pressure throughout the game.

Nevertheless, Baxter sees the tie as an opportunity to conquer a team with a strong European legacy.

“What you find with the Irish provinces is they tend to be able to maintain a level of pressure and physical intensity across the spectrum of the game, and that’s often the biggest challenge with them,” he said.

“They can create that wearing-down process and capitalise on your mistakes. We would like to think we are pretty good that way as well.

“The reality is we are looking at this game as an opportunity to go out and play well in a big European fixture against a team with a lot of history in the competition.

“It is going to be a great challenge, and one of those games where you have really got to roll your sleeves up for 80 minutes. I am hoping that will bring the best out of us.”

Exeter Chiefs Rob Baxter