'Game over': Exeter boss on why Stormers get the favourites tag
SPOTLIGHT: Exeter Chiefs Director of Rugby Rob Baxter believes his team will be underdogs against the Stormers in their Champions Cup quarterfinal on Saturday.
The Capetonians reached the last eight after they beat Harlequins 32-28 in Cape Town in a Round of 16 clash over the weekend.
Exeter, meanwhile, qualified for the next round on tries scored as they drew 33-33 with 14-man Montpellier at Sandy Park on Sunday.
The Stormers will now have to travel to England for that quarterfinal clash.
“I know not many people will give us a chance against them [the Stormers],” said Baxter
“They dealt with Harlequins pretty easily and Harlequins dealt with us pretty easily two weeks ago, so that’s it – game over.
“But that is quite a nice place to start from for us.
“We are not going to physically change much this week.
“We have just got to get our emotional batteries recharged.”
The story continues below…
‘Impossible to handle’
One player Exeter will rely heavily on for that quarterfinal is Sam Simmonds.
Baxter has hailed Simmonds’ performance in the 2020 champions’ dramatic extra-time success over Montpellier.
The No.8 was named Star of the Match against the side he is joining at the end of the season, scoring a first-half try in addition to making 22 carries and 93 metres.
“He [Simmonds] looked almost impossible to handle sometimes,” Baxter said.
“He very nearly scored a solo try that would have written the game off, and he was one of the guys who got his levels right for what he wanted to achieve.
“We’ve had a few rollercoasters over the years. I am really pleased for the players. We’ve challenged them a bit this season around some of the highs and lows of performances.”
Source: @ChampionsCup
