Baxter demands Exeter response after Gloucester rout

Rob Baxter has told his Exeter Chiefs players to roll their sleeves up after a 45-24 home defeat by Gloucester to start the new season.

The director of rugby, effectively Exeter’s head coach, spoke after his side conceded seven tries at Sandy Park in their opening match of the Premiership, England’s top division of rugby union BBC. Exeter finished as beaten finalists in the Prem last season. This was a rough re-entry.

Gloucester ran in seven tries, each worth five points for grounding the ball over the line, to win by 21 points. It was Exeter’s heaviest home defeat in any competition since a 69-17 loss to Bordeaux at the same ground in January 2025.

Baxter said he wants a reaction. Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, he said the players must decide whether “the lads want to roll their sleeves up and get on with it”.

He would not hide behind a disrupted build-up. Illness spread through the camp before the game and forced at least one player to drop out of contention. Baxter refused to blame that for the result.

Exeter were also short of senior forwards. Tom Hooper had yet to return from international duty. Italy lock Andrea Zambonin and Georgia prop Nika Abuladze were among the club’s internationals sidelined by injury.

For supporters, this means an early test of character rather than an early crisis. One heavy afternoon does not undo last season’s run to the final. But conceding seven at home stings. The next performance will tell us more than the team sheet did.

Gloucester, meanwhile, will take real confidence from the road. Their 45-24 win at Exeter was described by the BBC as a superb victory BBC. Baxter’s message is simple. Answer it.