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Confirmed: Run-on Tomahawk Chop chant gets the chop at Exeter

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Gallagher Premiership powerhouse Exeter have announced that their Tomahawk Chop chant will no longer be played at games. The chant was a familiar sound on matchdays at Sandy Park during Exeter’s rise to the summit of English and European rugby.

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Earlier this year, the Premiership club announced a rebrand in line with the Celtic Iron Age Dumnonii Tribe after deciding to abandon the controversial Native American theme that provoked criticism.

The new identity – including a change to their logo – took effect in July and while the Chiefs nickname is being retained, the club said it would now be aligned with a “poignant and significant nod to the past”.

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The Celtic Iron Age Dumnonii Tribe encompassed an area covering Devon, Cornwall and parts of Somerset for centuries before the Roman occupation from 43AD.

A section of supporters and others campaigned for the change in the belief that the previous imagery disrespected indigenous people in North America, prompting an extensive review process by the club, while Chiefs fans had been repeatedly asked by opposition sides not to wear the symbolic headdress to their grounds.

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It is understood the club are currently working on new run-out options for the team on matchdays to reflect their new theme. Exeter open their new Premiership season with a home game against champions Leicester on September 10.

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Ed the Duck 6 hours ago
How Leinster neutralised 'long-in-the-tooth' La Rochelle

Hey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂

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