Rob Baxter career set to enter a new stage

Rob Baxter admits that he hopes the producers of a new play about the rise of the Exeter Chiefs have lined up a Hollywood A-lister to play him ahead of its world premiere later this year.

The award-winning Exe Men, written by the Guardian rugby correspondent Rob Kitson, tells the remarkable story of how the Chiefs rose from obscurity to win the Gallagher Premiership and Investec Champions Cup double in 2020.

Exeter’s Northcott Theatre will host Exe Men during its run from October 7 to 18, and it marks the stage debut of Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Ashley Pharoah, known for Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

Baxter says that he hasn’t yet read the book, which was published five years ago, and is unlikely to see Oscar-winner Russell Crowe playing him, nor Star Trek legend William Shatner as CEO and chairman Tony Rowe.

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“I hope they are looking for a Hollywood A-lister, to be honest with you,” said Baxter, whose Exeter side face Harlequins on Sunday in London.

“You never think these things will happen until they do. The kids are already pestering me that we are going to have to go and see it.

“It will be interesting to see someone playing me on stage, without a doubt. I don’t want to sound negative about it, but right here and now, it’s not important to me if I am honest with you.

“I get on really well with Rob Kitson, but I haven’t yet read the book. I’ve got it but not read it. I am not that far down the line that I want to spend my time reminiscing about when we were winning trophies.

“We are now at a different stage, and I really want to focus on this. It’s great for the city, and I hope it goes really well and it’s a big success, but I’m at a different stage from where the book was and where the play is going to be.

“And I’ve got to focus on that. I’ve got to concentrate on maybe bringing about book number two and play number two in the next five years, and that is going to be the challenge.”