Rob Baxter era at Exeter Chiefs to continue into future

Rob Baxter admits that it’s still a “privilege” to be Exeter Chiefs after committing to signing a multi-year deal to stay on as director of rugby at the Sandy Park outfit.

The Baxter family have been the lifeblood of Exeter for over half a century, starting when his father John, also a lock, joined the club in the early sixties, before he played alongside his younger brother Richard.

Baxter played lock for 14 seasons and was captain for ten of them before becoming forwards coach, and was promoted to head coach in May 2009 following the sacking of Pete Drewett two months earlier.

He led them to promotion from the Championship in his first season in charge, and has established what was a provincial club into one that reached seven successive Premiership finals, winning a league and European Champions Cup double in 2020.

“I don’t think you could ever look at one thing being your life, not when you go through having a family and then, your family grew up and then they, leave and so it’s never been everything.

“I spend a lot of hours every day working in the job, and I’ve always really tried to look at it as being a privilege because the minute you forget that, is when you’re kind of getting it wrong.

“It doesn’t mean it can’t be tough at times, physically and emotionally. Of course it can, but at the same time, you’re in a job that most people at some stage have done purely for fun, and they’ve done it for the enjoyment of it.

“You can kind of see where we look like we’re potentially heading as a team and as a club. ?Things are looking very positive for us at the moment,” he said.

Exeter Rugby Club’s CEO and chairman, Tony Rowe, says that he is excited to see where Baxter and his coaching team lead the club in the next few years.

“Rob has been front and centre of the growth of this club, having helped build its foundations as a player. He is an Exeter Chiefs man through and through and has led us through some of our most memorable moments.

“He has also built a new coaching team and a young squad that are already keen and able to compete at the top level. It will be exciting to see where he can take them in the next few years,” he said.