Champions Cup: Exeter can bounce back and win at Leinster, says Rob Baxter

Leinster inflicted Exeter's first home loss since 11 December 2016

Director of rugby Rob Baxter says Exeter are capable of recovering from defeat by Leinster in the Champions Cup by winning in Dublin next weekend.

The 18-8 loss on Sunday was Exeter's first at Sandy Park in a year and the sides meet again on Saturday.

"The battle is can we improve this week more than Leinster and can we go over to Leinster and get a win?" Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.

"Can we do that? I think we can. Will it be tough? I know it'll be tough."

The two sides had been level going into Sunday's clash, having both beaten Montpellier and Glasgow in their opening two games.

English champions Exeter have only made it out of the pool stages once in the Champions Cup - two seasons ago when they lost to Wasps in the quarter-finals after a last-second Jimmy Gopperth conversion at the Ricoh Arena.

"The key about any game, whether you win or lose, is how you use it to improve and that's what we've got to do, we've got to fight to get better from today's experience," Baxter said after the Leinster defeat.

"I thought a few too many of our players were looking around wondering what was going on instead of dealing with things themselves

"You've got to deal with these things yourselves, Leinster dealt with it themselves, that's what we have to do.

"Leinster haven't come here and blown us away and that's a real positive. I know we can be better and I know we can play better than we did."