Exeter’s Bath loss ‘a step in the right direction’ – Rob Baxter

Exeter boss Rob Baxter says his side’s 19-15 loss at Premiership leaders Bath was “a step in the right direction”.

The defeat was a seventh-successive league loss – a club record – but Exeter led at half-time and scored a late try to ensure a losing bonus point.

The Chiefs have dropped to the bottom of the table after Newcastle beat Saracens on Friday.

“We’re definitely scrapping and that’s going to be important because ultimately that’s what’ll get us through the season,” Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.

“We do have to aim to grow across the season, the season isn’t going to happen from one performance or one game, we’ve got to grow and grow through the year.

“Today felt like a step in the right direction, if you’re in games as close as we were today for as long as we were – in the lead at half-time – we’ll come away with wins, and they’re there for us in the future.”

Having put in some poor performances in the opening block of Premiership fixtures, Exeter beat Championship sides Cornish Pirates and Hartpury in their first two Premiership Rugby Cup matches last month.

They rounded off the first set of cup games with a confidence-boosting 31-7 win at Gloucester last week.

“We’ve gone for it, which is what we said to the lads we wanted to do, we wanted to be ambitious and we wanted to go for it,” Baxter added after the loss at the Rec.

“We’ve not quite converted a couple of chances, and maybe you could say Bath had been a little bit more accurate than us in that conversion rate, but on the whole we’ve given it a good go, we’ve come up a little bit short.

“But a bonus point away from home in the Premiership, especially against one of the top teams is pretty good and par for the course.

“But it’s a little frustrating because what we just need is a win to kick start our season and feel good about ourselves.”