Josh Hodge: Exeter have gone ‘back to basics’ after record loss

Exeter full-back Josh Hodge says Rob Baxter has gone “back to basics” after taking control of the playing group.

Chiefs director of rugby Baxter has stepped in as acting boss after head coach Rob Hunter left the club and backs coach Ali Hepher was suspended.

The coaching changes came after Exeter’s club-record 79-17 loss at Gloucester as the Chiefs continue to endure their worst Premiership season since promotion in 2010.

“As you could see in that Gloucester game, we probably weren’t there with our basics – catching and pass handling errors were quite high,” Hodge told BBC Radio Devon.

“So we’ve stripped it back to basics with Rob, putting in the hard work early on, to then bide ourselves time in attack and get some front-foot ball.

“The boys are working a lot harder now and it’s looking good.”

Hodge, who scored one of Exeter’s three tries in the loss at Kingsholm, and his team-mates have had a fortnight to build up for Sunday’s visit of Northampton.

Chiefs face the reigning Premiership champions a week after Saints recorded a historic European Champions Cup semi-final win over Leinster in Dublin.

Hodge is hopeful there will be no repeat of their loss at Gloucester in their first run-out in front of home fans since their Kingsholm humbling.

“I think we’re just at a point in the season where we need to come together as a playing group,” Hodge added.

“You see the teams that are doing well in the Premiership and they’re a tightly connected playing group.

“The players should be joined together working towards the same goal, and I think we were probably just off on that day and just got outplayed.”