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Exeter boss Tony Rowe takes aim at 'greedy' England in comments over Chiefs players

By PA
Exeter chairman Tony Rowe /Getty

Exeter chairman Tony Rowe has signed off a historic season by targeting global domination, while also taking aim at “greedy” England.

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The Chiefs joined Leicester, Wasps and Saracens by completing a European and domestic double which was sealed when Wasps were edged 19-13 in a thrillingly tense Gallagher Premiership final at Twickenham on Saturday.

Rowe has masterminded Exeter’s climb from the second tier to the pinnacle of club rugby in the northern hemisphere, but his sights are set higher still.

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Talk of a world club championship resurfaced as recently as June amid hopes it could be set up in 2022 and Rowe supports the competition knowing it would offer Exeter a new territory to conquer.

“We need to establish ourselves as the premier club. I want it to be the premier club in the world – and we can do that. We’ve got ambitious guys there,” Rowe said.

“We’ll keep doing what we are doing. We’ve got one of the best coaching groups in the northern hemisphere.

“I like to take my time. I said that we’d do Europe in five years after the first Premiership title. How about we do the world in the next five? It would be nice to have a world club game.”

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The global calendar is in a state of flux with a long-term structure yet to be thrashed out, a situation exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic that has left nations and clubs alike facing uncertain financial futures.

Plans to introduce an annual international tournament are on hold and Rowe would strongly oppose any increase in Test fixtures.

“All this stuff coming down about more international games – I am totally against that,” Rowe said.

“We employ the players, they are our players. Being forced to release them for so many international games is not good. We don’t get compensated enough.

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“The reality is that we bred these guys for ourselves, we didn’t breed them for England.

“England can get too greedy. They are very quick to run the other way when we want money. At the moment we are desperate for money in the Premiership to stay alive.

“We are one of the wealthier clubs and we will see it through, but there are some clubs that are really struggling and we should be able to turn to the Rugby Football Union for financial support because they turn to us when they want our players.”

Exeter

Rowe is proud of Exeter’s record of developing players, but admits two positions have been hard to fill with locally-sourced talent.

“More than half the squad today have come through our academy. But they don’t grow very tall in Cornwall or Devon, I don’t know why. So we’ve had to bring in our locks.

“And for some reason we don’t breed good full-backs. With the boys coming through the academy, you can only get what you’ve got. Rob Baxter is bringing in these guys because we haven’t got anyone of that standard.

“We could probably find some local locks, but none have popped their head above the parapet. People say ‘why did you get Jonny Gray or Stuart Hogg?’ It’s because we haven’t had one come through our academy who is good enough. If you haven’t got them coming through your own production line, you’ve got to go out and bring them in.”

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Trevor 11 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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