England boss Steve Borthwick was at The Rec on Friday night.
He will have taken particular interest in one 28th-minute scrum.
Beno Obano and Will Stuart, either side of hooker Tom Dunn, made the Exeter front row look as though they were wearing skis rather than studs, sending the visitors skidding backwards at a rate of knots.
Considering Baxter’s lack of game time and Bevan Rodd being ruled out of the autumn after wrist surgery, Obano may well be the back-up loosehead option to Ellis Genge for England’s Nations Championship campaign.
Stuart’s welcome return from an Achilles injury is likely to have him installed as the tighthead replacement behind the excellent Joe Heyes.
Borthwick may well lean into their Bath connection as he rebuilds a ‘bomb squad’ bench which was crucial to England’s good form in 2025.
Gloucester fly-half Charlie Atkinson may well be twisting Borthwick’s arm as well.
The 25-year-old has been central to the Cherry and Whites’ electric start to the season.
He set up the opening try of their thrashing of Harlequins with a cute jink past Will Porter and then a pinpoint crossfield bomb for Ben Loader a couple of passages later. A hint of a dummy and a dart took Atkinson himself over for his team’s fourth.
His substandard goal-kicking may count against him. Of players with a minimum of 10 kicks at goal, only Bath’s Santi Carreras had a lower success-rate off the tee in 2025-26. Team-mate George Barton had kicking duties on Saturday.
But if Borthwick wants a back-up stand-off that more closely replicates the playing style of first-choice Fin Smith, Atkinson may be due promotion after three appearances for England A last season.
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