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'I remember a pretty blunt conversation with him': The making of Exeter's Tom O'Flaherty
With Eddie Jones poised to cast his net wide when he announces his England summer series squad next Thursday, Exeter boss Rob Baxter believes his soon-to-be 27-year-old winger Tom O’Flaherty could be a good shout for a first-ever involvement at international level. It was last Wednesday declared: “Obviously centre has been a position where we need to bring some new talent through… the wingers is another position where there is an opportunity for some young guys to come through.”
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O’Flaherty might not be young in the conventional sense but he has undeniably been enjoying his best season yet at the Exeter where his emergence has been typical of the type of unheralded, off the radar signing the Chiefs have made a successful knack of.
The Londoner was on the books at Ospreys when Baxter first took a shine. O’Flaherty made just a single PRO12 appearance, playing as a try-scoring sub versus Glasgow in November 2016, but he enjoyed greater exposure in the Anglo-Welsh and British & Irish Cups, scoring four tries in ten games before he swapped countries.
That was 2017 and it has been a slow build, the winger making just two short appearances off the Premiership bench in his first season before eventually finding his feet, going on to become a regular starter in last term’s league and European Cup double.
He has since fared even better in his fourth season at the club and he came into this weekend’s round 21 Premiership action out in front in two of the league’s player charts. His tally of 1,176 metres gained was 138 metres more than the next-best Tom Parton of London Irish while his tally of 73 defenders beaten was 13 better than next-best Zach Mercer of Bath.
'Everyone mucks around in training, you do all sorts of funny skills before and after the sessions but I don’t think I ever practised that.'@ExeterChiefs Tom O'Flaherty steps @heagneyl ??? through his early contender for @premrugby try of the seasonhttps://t.co/5O4oQ6NK8Q
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 6, 2020
Add in the seven tries he has scored in his 18 starts and it is safe to suggest that his season has been going swimmingly ahead of this Sunday’s trip to Northampton. Baxter is chuffed with O’Flaherty, describing him and record-breaking try-scorer Sam Simmonds as spearhead type players in the Exeter effort to retain their Premiership title. “He is one of those markers of those few players who need to have their best, best season, they are the guys that are the spearhead of a team that does well in a particular year,” suggested Baxter when O’Flaherty’s chart-topping exploits were put to him by RugbyPass.
“Neither of those guys [O’Flaherty and Lions pick Simmonds] might have the same year next year but you need a couple of other guys to be like that and it kind of means the team can get around them, it has an energy towards them and an energy in helping them achieve and that whole thing can create a drive for a whole group of players.
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“That is what I mean, you need some guys to really seize the moment and once they start getting towards the top of those tables then it’s something that can really drive and everyone can really focus on to make sure they come out on top of those charts and they come out winning those awards.”
Asked to reflect on why he felt back in 2017 that the little known O’Flaherty was potentially a good long-term fit for Exeter, Baxter added: “There are a few things that are clear that we look for. I don’t want to talk about it because they are a little bit of a blueprint for us and they have proven successful, so I don’t want to just throw it out there for everyone to know, but what he did is he ticks a lot of the boxes that we look for that make someone selectable, so we tend to look for a few qualities that make players selectable.
“We focus on those first. He had those in spades and it’s no secret if you watch him now you will see what some of them were and that gives you a foundation that is worth working from. That is what we tend to find. The players we bring in from outside, off the radar so to speak, we have three or four really simple criteria that we expect them to be very good at. If they have those criteria that gives us a foundation we can work from and develop from.
“Tom worked very hard in his first year to start doing those things. I remember having a pretty blunt conversation with him where he asked me what was happening around selection and I said you are going to have to trust me. When I think you are doing X, Y and Z better than this guy and this guy then we will pick you.
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“He kind of went okay then and then he did it and we picked him and he has been in and around the squad ever since. It wasn’t anything magical, it was he got a lot of hard work done, he got himself in a place to be able to play how he is playing and fair play to him.
“He has worked very hard with the other coaches and worked very hard himself and has got himself in a position to play a lot of games of rugby. You tend to find players improve quickly playing more games and that is what happened with Tom.”
"We think we have found a few good players who maybe aren’t in the media spotlight" https://t.co/hZ5XMEzXJI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 3, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
20 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
9 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
73 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
20 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
9 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
20 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
20 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
20 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to comments