Rob Baxter backed the decision to allow Northampton to draft in Gloucester’s Alex Seville for the European Champions Cup quarter-final at Exeter on Sunday with the club’s four senior loosehead props all injured, but he accused the Saints of playing mind games to swing the decision.
Northampton lobbied European Professional Club Rugby after two loosehead props sustained season-ending injuries at Bristol last week and made another appeal after Francois van Wyk’s knee injury at Leicester on Sunday left them with the 19-year old Manny Iyogun, a recent convert from No 8, as their only loosehead option. They were given permission to register Seville on Thursday morning.
“We made it clear to Northampton when they contacted us that we would support them in their attempt to register an extra player and we did that,” said Baxter, Exeter’s head coach. “I think some of it is mind games, if I am honest, and a scenario that potentially isn’t there.”
Baxter was referring to a comment from the Northampton director of rugby, Chris Boyd, who noted that when Iyogun came on after 24 minutes at Welford Road to pack down against Dan Cole the England and Lions tighthead “was kind to him on a couple of occasions”, adding: “The attitude Exeter take in the scrums will determine whether they go to uncontested.”
Baxter responded: “What does that comment mean? That Northampton will go to uncontested scrums but not if we do not push? It was a weird comment all round, made to influence. It is a quarter-final, not a pre-season friendly, but EPCR made a sensible decision.
“We played Northampton a couple of weeks ago in the Premiership at Franklin’s Gardens. We had a tighthead on the bench who came on [after an hour, Alfie Petch] not having played in the league before. I cannot remember there being anything in the Press about there being an issue over a 20-year old guy playing his first Premiership minute.
“We do not know how long Alex Seville has been training with them. He came on for Gloucester against us last week so he is more than capable of surviving against our front row.”
