Sometimes there is just one acceptable outcome and, from Exeter’s perspective, this victory was the absolute minimum requirement. Had they been beaten by what was almost Northampton’s third team, having folded embarrassingly at Gloucester last time out, the sound of teeth being gnashed would have been heard from Totnes to Tiverton.
Not that Rob Baxter, now back in a more hands-on role following the removal of two of his senior coaches, sounded the least bit triumphal. He had been seeking a witheringly physical, no-nonsense response to the Kingsholm drubbing but made it crystal clear later that standards had to rise significantly on and off the field if Exeter want to revisit the sunlit uplands of English club rugby.
