Opposition view: Baxter salutes Exeter for show of character at Saints
Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter hailed his players for the character they showed to come back from 33-7 to claim a draw in the Gallagher PREM opener at Saints on Sunday.
Exeter kept Saints scoreless during the second half, turning the tables on their hosts after shipping four tries in 13 first-half minutes before the break.
And Baxter, whose side finished ninth in the league last season, said: “I said we promised this wasn’t what we were going to be about.
“I also said to them the one thing I promised everybody at the club, and every supporter who’s asked me what’s going to happen this season, I promised them wins, I promised them points, I promised them a good place in the table, I promised them we would be a more competitive team.
“That’s the only thing I promised people who are going to watch us and that was what I wanted us to stand up and look like.
“Our choice was to stand up and be counted or roll over, and fair play to the players, they went out and they played the second half.
“We kept Northampton pointless, we’ve probably created more opportunities to win the game than they did in the end.
“I’m delighted we showed the character to get back into the game.”