Exeter boss blasts ‘unacceptable’ defeat after coming ‘under an avalanche’ at Kingsholm
Exeter Chiefs players after their match against Gloucester with an inset of Rob Hunter
Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Hunter has blasted his side following their 79-17 defeat to Gloucester, describing it as his worst day as a coach.
The Devonians conceded a whopping 13 tries in the loss at Kingsholm, just a week after pushing table-topping Bath all the way at Sandy Park.
‘We came under an avalanche’
Addressing to the media after the game, the Chiefs boss spoke candidly about his and his side’s emotions after the record-breaking defeat.
“It’s my worst day as a coach, for sure,” he said. “It is in no way acceptable for us to perform like that for anybody involved in the matchday, coach or player. There’s no hiding away, and we’ve not tried to hide away from that in the changing room.
“Fair play to Gloucester, they played really well, but we gifted them opportunities in every facet of the game.”
He added: “The reality is that good vibes are not enough. We came into this off the back of a good performance last week, but we gone under an avalanche of pressure and intensity from Gloucester, and we’ve wilted underneath it.
“It’s not a case of back to the drawing board, it’s more of a case of us not learning our lessons until we can do it repeatedly week in week out. That’s always the greatest measure of a team and a group of coaches that understand the game, the ability to put a performance out every week, not just once.”
With the attention now turning onto EPCR competitions with both the Champions and Challenge Cup semi-finals, Exeter are handed another break week, but the new boss detailed his side will use that as a chance to have a reality check.
“We don’t have a game next weekend,” Hunter said. “Which gives us the opportunity to not brush over it and dwell on it for a week. That’s a good reality check.”
Exeter are still a young side, though, with a number of players in just their second season – if not first – of professional rugby, but Hunter said he doesn’t need to put an arm around them after this loss.
“A lot of the players don’t want an arm around them. We’ve just had a strongly-worded conversation in there, and nobody is really looking for an arm around them now.
“What we need to do now is make sure we understand how to make it better, otherwise it’s just pointless and you’ll just feel rubbish for a long time. The key is to make sure we turn it around and put the energy into things that count.”
Tony Rowe dresses down players
Chiefs chairman Tony Rowe was later spotted addressing the players in the changing room after the game, and Hunter was in full support of the long-time club servant.
“Tony is entirely right to come into the changing room and fire into everybody. He puts a lot of time and effort into the club, and his and everyone else’s expectations should be way higher than that (performance).”