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'It's been a shame it hasn't been an amazing time for him': Exeter's bittersweet Cuthbert exit
Rob Baxter has reflected on the bittersweet truncated career that winger Alex Cuthbert has had at title-chasing Exeter these past three seasons. The 31-year-old 2013 Lions pick won the last of his 47 Wales caps in 2017 and his switch the following year to the Chiefs hasn’t been without its frustrations as he spent more time out injured than on the pitch. Cuthbert will now move to Ospreys at the end of the season after being one of the eight leavers confirmed by Exeter, the other seven being Joe Snow, Barry Karea, Elvis Taione, Tomas Francis, Tom Price, James Short and Charlie Wright.
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While Cuthbert is primed to say farewell on the back of a big-game appearance as he is set to feature on the wing in next Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final versus Harlequins, his impressive late-season re-emergence in the team is a sharp reminder of what could have been at Exeter had he been fit on a more frequent basis.
Of the 71 Premiership matches Exeter have played during Cuthbert’s three years at the club, he has only played in 26 – a 36 per cent availability due to regular soft tissue injuries such as hamstrings and the like. That is a frustrating lack of bang for their overall buck because when Cuthbert does manage to play his has an uncanny knack of delivering.
Take his seven appearances in this season’s 23-game Premiership campaign, including last Saturday’s impressive show in the semi-final win over Sale. He has made 406 metres off 48 carries, made 28 tackles, beaten 22 defenders, made 13 clean breaks, given five offloads and scored four tries. Imagine then what those numbers would be like if he was available for selection for more than a third of the games.
“That is it wrapped in a nutshell,” said Baxter, reflecting on Cuthbert’s three years at the club which will come to an end after next weekend. “You look on his career here, which has been a good career, and he is a guy who could have had an amazing career here, had amazing things to look back on (instead of) amazing games he hasn’t been able to be involved in through injury, long periods of rehab rather than having long periods of games. That’s exactly how his time will be here.
It's an awkward time for the potential Lions No15 Test starter after getting benched by his Premiership club#LionsRugby #EXEvHAR #GallagherPremFinal
https://t.co/g7JgNmGmgQ— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 23, 2021
“I have certainly not had any regrets in bringing him here because of the player he has been and the energy he has been around the place and the friendships he has created and also the actual big games he has been involved in for us. I still believe it has been a win-win scenario for both ourselves and for Alex. It’s been a shame it has not been an amazing time for him just based on those injury issues.”
So highly thought of is Cuthbert when he is available that Baxter started him last weekend on the wing in a back three where Jack Nowell was accommodated at full-back with Scotland skipper Stuart Hogg demoted to the bench. It’s that calibre of backup that will ensure Exeter aren’t rushing into the market to find a replacement for Cuthbert.
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“Not necessarily like for like,” said Baxter when asked about bringing in someone else. “If you actually look at the make-up of where we are in our squad, when you look at the back three, if you took Alex out of that back three now you could move Jack Nowell over to wing and put Stuart on at full-back. If you look at our next guys in behind, you have got Olly Woodburn who has played a lot of very good rugby for us.
“Facundo Cordero has really started to make his mark in the Premiership this year. Josh Hodge looks like a player who has got an amazing future for me as a back three and we have got some very good young talent underneath there as well. Don’t forget we have always got the old warhorse Ian Whitten who can step in and do a job on the wing. Sean O’Brien, one of the (new) centres, is training really well, looks like he could easily feature there if needed.
“And then we have got some young guys in the academy. I mean, Arthur Relton had a good game for England U20s just this week and he is a young winger here on our books and we have got a couple of other good academy players. We have got some good guys and we are well stocked in the back three. I can see a bright future for a number of the guys there who potentially an older player moving on can create an opportunity for.”
"If someone is going to say to me that is all making sense, I don’t know what sense it is making”#EXEvSALhttps://t.co/If1DyMOV5F
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 19, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
5 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
5 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to comments