Rob Baxter: Exeter boss accuses London Irish of blocking ball children

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has accused London Irish of deliberately blocking ball children from doing their job in Sunday's Premiership match.

The Devon side fought back to beat the Exiles 22-15 at the Madejski Stadium.

"You've got some fat, bald bloke walking up and down the touchline physically stopping young ball-people from putting the ball to the Exeter hooker," Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.

"For me you shouldn't really be putting young people in that kind of scenario."

BBC Sport contacted London Irish, but the club declined to comment.

Irish had David Paice and Ian Nagle sin-binned either side of half-time in the contest.

The victory was Exeter's first in three league games, moving them to within four points of leaders Saracens.

"I'm glad we've won in a way so I can say it without sounding like sour grapes," added Baxter.

"If taking the tempo out of the game was part of London Irish's tactics and they think it's worked for them - fair play.

"But when we see a team deliberately trying to take every bit of tempo out of the game, we feel pretty good about ourselves because it normally means the opposition are concentrating on us rather than themselves."