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Baxter fears England will become next season's sick man of Europe
Exeter boss Rob Baxter has taken issue with next season’s Champions Cup, claiming its winter schedule – not the revised format which will see the 24 teams split into two groups and play four games each – will cause headaches for England’s elite players.
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The restarted 2019/20 Premiership season is due to culminate in an October 24 final and this will be followed by England playing five Test matches over six weekends.
All fine in theory but the complication is that the final Test game on the weekend of December 5 will be immediately followed on consecutive weekends by the two opening rounds of the 2020/21 Champions Cup, the Christmas Premiership programme and then back into Europe.
This relentless line-up of games will leave the likes of Baxter will little room to manoeuvre to find designated rest periods for Exeter Test level players such as Henry Slade and Jack Nowell (pictured above), and the coach hinted that the importance of the Premiership could see Test players excused from the European games, downgrading the importance of that tournament.
Wrapping his head around the busy months ahead, Baxter said: “It’s going to be very interesting next season. Talking about it here and now I don’t think the format is the biggest issue. This isn’t a slight on anybody but the way it drops in there immediately post-international blocks is tough.
We're excited to announce that the #HeinekenChampionsCup and #ChallengeCupRugby will have a brand new look next season ?
EPCR Chairman Simon Halliday and Director General Vincent Gaillard chat through the key points ?? pic.twitter.com/TI7X7N5uOM
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) September 2, 2020
“It’s tough to see it as an absolute front-line competition for English Premiership clubs as you’re going to get your players back from the block of internationals and if they are going to play the next weekend it’s your first European game. Somewhere between coming back from the autumn – or the early-winter – internationals you have got to fit two or three rest weekends in for the EPS (elite player squad) players. Four of the fixtures are European and three are Premiership (after the Eight Nations competition).
“The whole make-up of the season and how you fight your way through, it is going to be an interesting concept. The make-up of the competition is fine – I have no problems with it for one season – but it’s going to be how you incorporate your players into a team that’s capable of winning big matches.”
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Premiership leaders Exeter have five more regular-season games left before October’s play-offs while they also host league rivals Northampton on September 20 in the Champions Cup quarter-finals before Baxter and co can even contemplate the 2020/21 campaigns in England and Europe.
“We will get this season out the way and will crack on from there. The reality is the guys have got a lot of things to happen, to be agreed, signed off before we get into next season’s game minutes, match-appearances and that sort of stuff. We’re going into a year that has been massively decided by a Covid crisis – it’s a one-off year and if it’s a one-off year the regulations have to align with that. Hopefully, everyone will be sensible on rest periods.
“They will hand it over, as they have done for this nine-game block, to the directors of rugby to work out the best way to manage our players. Ultimately if any of us want to work towards winning seasons we have to manage players and get them in good condition. If we start with that we will be fine.”
There has been a lot of praise for the Chiefs after their ambush of Bristol https://t.co/jsiA8elYTH
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 26, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Good luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
37 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
37 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
37 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
37 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
37 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
37 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
37 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
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