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'There isn't a director of rugby in the country who won't say this'

By PA
Henry Slade looks on dejected after the loss to Ireland /PA

And Baxter also claims that it feels “difficult to be a real supporter of the England team” due to current arrangements.

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A number of England players are set to miss several Premiership weekends this season because of international matches, squad training or designated rest periods.

And the Chiefs are likely to be affected, with players like Henry Slade, Sam Simmonds, Jack Nowell and Luke Cowan-Dickie all currently important figures in England head coach Eddie Jones’ plans.

“The biggest argument that is becoming clear is for potentially fewer clubs in the Premiership,” Exeter rugby director Baxter said.

“And I am saying potentially as I don’t want to be one of these people who drops something out there and doesn’t back it up, as I think there needs to be a fair bit more research into it.

“But one thing that is becoming clear – and there isn’t a director of rugby in the country who won’t say this – the amount of Premiership games that clash with internationals, or international rest periods, is too much.

“It feels odd that we’ve allowed a system in this country that it has actually become quite difficult to have internationals, especially England players.

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“You do have to expect them to be away for more than half of your Premiership games. That’s if they don’t get injured.

“To me it becomes odd when you have a system where the clubs that provide the England players, it feels bad, difficult, to have too many.

“It feels difficult to be a real supporter of the England team. That is a bit of an odd system.”

Baxter suggested that reducing the number of Premiership clubs from the current 13 could provide a solution.

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“If you reduce the number of clubs, that becomes a lot more manageable,” he added.

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“The Premiership game remains high in people’s focus, most of the games they come and watch have the top players available, there won’t be players forced not to play, there won’t be six, seven, eight rounds without a sniff of an international player.

“Do you have people within the Premiership who think 13 clubs is too much? Yes, you do.

“And I’ve said from the start, we should have maintained promotion and relegation and we shouldn’t have taken the way out we did to go to 13 clubs.”

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Bull Shark 1 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.

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