EXETER Chiefs Director of Rugby, Rob Baxter, cut a frustrated figure in the wake of his side’s latest Gallagher Premiership loss away to Leicester Tigers.

Having ended 2024 on a high with a first league win of the season against Gloucester, the Chiefs were unable to follow it up in their opening game of the New Year, going down 28-15 at Welford Road.

Henry Slade gave the visitors an early lead with a penalty, only for the Tigers to bite back with converted first half scores from Olly Cracknell and Cameron Henderson to lead 14-3 at the turn.

The Chiefs, however, were much improved in the second period and took the lead themselves as they claimed two tries from winger Tom Wyatt, one of which was converted by the boot of Slade.

However, just as it looked as though Baxter’s side who kick on, a costly yellow card for replacement Will Rigg offered Leicester a lifeline back into the contest.

With Rigg sidelined for ten minutes, the Tigers profited as they exploited space out wide to set up Ollie Hassell-Collins for a crucial third try, before experienced England international Ben Youngs sniped over from a close-range ruck to give them the all-important bonus point score.

Although the Chiefs did their best to salvage something from their trip in the dying embers, sadly it was not to be for the Devonians, who this weekend return to Investec Champions Cup action with a home clash against Bordeaux-Begles.

“I’m a bit frustrated, a little disappointed,” said Baxter afterwards. “When you work that hard, you’re that competitive in a game, you desperately want to get something out of it.

“You’ve got to feel for the lads when they work that hard and ultimately we end up with no points from the game.

“But there’s some moments in there where you can go ‘we’re find our way, we’re getting there’ and we’re becoming more and more competitive.

“The yellow card clearly hurt us, which has got to be a frustration. My view is we’re trying to talk about we want an aerial contest, so we’re trying to talk about not having blockers and decoy runners all this type of stuff.

“Then you create an aerial contest and the first thing that happens is if you get it slightly wrong, and that’s very slightly wrong, it’s a yellow card. Why can’t it be something in between?”

Baxter also confirmed following the fixture that he has been dealt a major injury blow with the news that winger Olly Woodburn is likely to miss the remainder of the season with a ‘significant knee injury’.

The loss of Woodburn comes at a time when Baxter is already without England speedster Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who dislocated his shoulder in the recent loss at Sale Sharks.

Baxter said: “Manny is still 50/50 – is it an operation or is it rehab? Yes, he could be potentially fit for the Six Nations if he goes the rehab route, but if he goes the op route, then it will be post-Six Nations. That’s the battle he’s in.

“What he doesn’t want to do is try and rehab it and then break down in the Six Nations. It’s complicated because there is no right or wrong answer. We’ll make a decision on what will happen next week.”