Baxter says Exeter 'killing each other' after Bath play-off blow

BATH - Exeter boss Rob Baxter said his side were "killing each other" in a damning verdict on a shock 36-19 defeat away to English Premiership strugglers Bath on Sunday that dealt a blow to the Chiefs' play-off hopes.

Only the top four teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the title-deciding knockout games and this result left Exeter eight points adrift of the play-off places with just three games left.

And two of those fixtures will be away to teams currently in the top four in reigning champions Leicester and London Irish.

Exeter's loss to Bath was all the more surprising given their southwest rivals kicked off bottom of the table, having lost five successive league matches and not won in the Premiership this year.

Bath, however, ran in five tries at the Recreation Ground, leaving Exeter with little time to recover ahead of next weekend's Champions Cup round-of-16 clash against French club Montpellier.

"We can't perform as a team because individually we are killing each other," said an angry Baxter. "I am at that stage when I am almost thinking we have got to change the personnel.

"It never looked like we were going to make the game about us. It was a litany of errors."

Bath scored tries through Test centres Cameron Redpath and Ollie Lawrence, prop Beno Obano, wing Joe Cokanasiga and hooker Tom Dunn as Scotland fly-half Finn Russell, who will join the club from Paris-based side Racing 92 next season, watched from the stands.

"I am very glad for all involved at Bath Rugby," said Bath boss Johann van Graan.

"The players stuck to the plan, and we all know we are making small improvements week on week...We asked for an 80-minute performance, and we got that today."