Baxter backs Slade after missed kicks in Exeter defeat at Bath

Exeter boss Rob Baxter has backed Henry Slade after the centre missed three kicks in Chiefs' 40-34 defeat at Bath on Friday. Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, Baxter said Slade should move past the disappointment rather than dwell on a difficult evening from the tee.

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Slade failed with two first-half conversions and later struck a post with a penalty, BBC Sport reported. He was practising after the final whistle, but Baxter preferred him to rejoin his team-mates. The coach pointed to Slade's record of delivering important kicks and expressed confidence that the performance would not become a lasting problem.

The missed opportunities came in a match featuring 11 tries at the Rec. Sky Sports reported that Bath's victory took them to the top of the Gallagher Prem table and avenged their semi-final defeat by Exeter. The hosts led 26-10 at half-time but had to withstand a second-half Chiefs revival.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scored twice for Exeter, with Stephen Varney, Jack Yeandle and Josh Iosefa-Scott providing their other tries. Slade added three conversions. Harvey Skinner then took responsibility for a late penalty, narrowing the final margin to six points and securing a losing bonus point for the visitors despite their defeat.

Bath's scoring was spread across Cameron Redpath, Bernard van der Linde, Dan du Preez, Finn Russell and Ted Hill, alongside a penalty try. Russell also supplied four conversions, according to Sky Sports' match record. The hosts' six tries to Exeter's five proved enough to settle the derby. Bath's own match report confirmed that the win brought another five league points in front of a sold-out home crowd.

Baxter also resisted treating Exeter's winless start as a reason for alarm. BBC Sport reported that Chiefs had lost at home to Gloucester before travelling to Bath, having reached last season's final and lost to Northampton at Twickenham. His message was to concentrate on consistent weekly performances and accumulating points, rather than view the second fixture as decisive for their season.