Exeter Chiefs have to grow up, says Rob Baxter despite six-try win
Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter gave a brutal assessment of his side's performance despite their victory over Premiership champions Northampton Saints.
On the face of it, Exeter got 'back on the horse' after scoring six converted tries in the wake of their record 79-17 league defeat at Gloucester a fortnight earlier, which led to the departure of the recently appointed head coach Rob Hunter.
However, it was against a much weakened Northampton, who made 14 changes from the starting XV that triumphed so superbly in the Champions Cup semi-final at Leinster eight days before, and with six of Saints' match-day 23 making their Premiership debuts.
Chiefs made very hard work of it, and Baxter, who has now moved back into a frontline coaching
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The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘Looks like they're chatting in Starbucks' Roy Keane urges England stars to scream at each other after error-ridden loss
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BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
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Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Telegraph
This should be England's World Cup team after Senegal abomination
This time next year England will (hopefully) be preparing for the World Cup in the heat of the United States, Mexico and Canada. There are qualifiers to be won, but Thomas Tuchel's team should be there – despite two awful performances in the last four days. Whether they progress to the latter stages of the tournament is another matter. Tuchel still looks a way off finding out his best team – and has completely failed to get them to click so far. With a year to go, this is the starting line-up he should put out when the World Cup kicks off. Formation: 4-1-4-1 Goalkeeper Dean Henderson deserved his chance against Senegal after the season he had with Crystal Palace, which ended with an FA Cup triumph. Tuchel has made it clear that Jordan Pickford was 'slightly ahead' in the No 1 race, but he is getting pushed hard by Henderson and James Trafford. Trafford had a long break after promotion from the Championship with Burnley, so was not used in these matches. But there is time for him to mount a challenge. Verdict: Jordan Pickford Right-back We can say with confidence that it will not be Kyle Walker, judging by the drop-off in performances last season and the way Ismaila Sarr got ahead of him for Senegal's equaliser at the City Ground. Roy Keane, working as a pundit on ITV, called it 'lazy' defending. But Tuchel does not seem decided on this position. Reece James and Curtis Jones have also started there under the German. Trent Alexander-Arnold was bizarrely overlooked for starts in the last two games and his defensive weaknesses were highlighted by Tuchel. But he is now a galactico and surely commands a place in the line-up. Right centre-back Ezri Konsa should be a starter at the World Cup. He played at the Euros when Sir Gareth Southgate went for a three-man defence against Switzerland and he has started in the first three of Thomas Tuchel's games. In fact, his late block against Andorra ensured that England avoided the worst result in their history. Trevoh Chalobah was given a chance against Senegal but was beaten by Nicolas Jackson as his Chelsea team-mate set up the equaliser before the break. Verdict: Ezri Konsa Left centre-back Not as straightforward as it seems. Marc Guéhi was an automatic choice for Southgate at the Euros, but surprisingly left out of Tuchel's first match in charge. He has missed these summer matches through an eye injury suffered in the FA Cup final, but will challenge for a place next season. Levi Colwill's distribution was poor at times against Senegal, while Dan Burn really struggled against Andorra. John Stones should be a starter if fit. Verdict: John Stones Left-back Luke Shaw's injury record last season means he cannot be relied upon to be fit this time next year. Ben Chilwell was also out of favour at Chelsea and is still trying to find regular football. So left-back does not have the options that it once did. Myles Lewis-Skelly has started three of Tuchel's games, but his inexperience may count against him for a starting place. Trying Reece James against Andorra was an interesting move from Tuchel and allows England to shift into a back three when they are dominating games. Verdict: Reece James Defensive central midfield After his free-kicks in the Champions League, we can add set-pieces to the threat that Declan Rice poses. His box-to-box running will be so important to the way England play next summer. But he also has to be disciplined to hold his position when necessary and allow others freedom. Conor Gallagher was tried against Senegal, while Jordan Henderson played against Andorra. Verdict: Declan Rice Right wing Only injury has prevented Bukayo Saka from featuring more under Tuchel. The Arsenal forward, who was in the leadership group under Southgate, is an important part of England's attack and Tuchel will be praying for an injury-free season. Anthony Gordon still looks like he has work to do to convince Tuchel of a starting place. Verdict: Bukayo Saka Attacking midfield There should be a place for Adam Wharton but Tuchel has yet to have a look at the Crystal Palace midfielder, who went to the Euros last year. It means there is not much time for Wharton to force his way in. Without him, there is no obvious candidate in a deeper role alongside Rice. But this allows Tuchel to get more No 10s in his team and Jude Bellingham is one player who is guaranteed a start. Verdict: Jude Bellingham Attacking midfield Tuchel pointed out that Cole Palmer's form for Chelsea has not been great recently. Should we be expecting something different for England? He is the nation's great hope as a creative player who can unlock a defence. While comfortable on the flank, he has been a No 10 this season at Chelsea. Morgan Rogers has been pushing for a place under Tuchel, who clearly likes the way the Aston Villa midfielder tested himself in the Champions League. Morgan Gibbs-White looks further down the pecking order, despite a decent cameo against Senegal. Verdict: Cole Palmer Left wing Eberechi Eze is staking a claim for a place in the team. He is versatile, playing from full-back through to centre-forward during his England career. Tuchel started him up front with Harry Kane in a 4-4-2 against Senegal. But Marcus Rashford is expected to mount another challenge for a starting berth, having forced his way back into the England set-up in March. He looks like spending another year away from Manchester United and another season determined to prove them wrong, like he did at Aston Villa. Striker Only one choice here. Harry Kane will start at the World Cup next year barring injury. Yes, Tuchel says he will look at the heat and whether it will be a factor with the England captain – but there are no doubts over his place in the line-up. Ivan Toney was given just three minutes – plus stoppage-time – over the last two games, so Tuchel is not thinking of him as a back-up option. Liam Delap could come into contention, but Kane will lead the line.
