Rob Baxter targeting dynasty of success for Exeter
Exeter boss Rob Baxter plans to use the Chiefs’ first double as the launchpad for a dynasty of success having acquired a taste for silverware.
An enthralling 19-13 victory over Wasps at Twickenham clinched a second Gallagher Premiership title for the Devonians a week after they were crowned European champions by edging Racing 92 in similarly captivating circumstances.
Now seeking to emulate fellow English double winners Leicester, Wasps and Saracens by establishing an era of dominance, Exeter are determined to continue the fairy tale started 10 years ago when they reached the top flight for the first time.
When asked if toppling Wasps and Racing on successive weekends is just the beginning, Baxter said: “I’d like to think so because I genuinely think that not getting to finals and not progressing will hurt us.
“It took us years and years and years to win the Premiership for the first time. We could then have said we’ve achieved everything we wanted to achieve.
“But we didn’t and now that we’ve won these two trophies, have we achieved everything we’ve wanted to? No we haven’t. There’s always something else to move on to.
“There’s another game in three weeks’ time and we want to keep moving forward. I want to see young guys come through. I want to see Joe Simmonds keep developing.
“We’ve got to use our drive and use our ambition and use this group of players, because they are the right age group, to drive us for four or five years.
“We need to use their desire to experience these moments as much as we can. It won’t be simple, it never is. For us it’s always been about steady progress.”
Staggeringly, the defence of their hard-won domestic crown begins in less than a month as they open the 2021-22 Premiership campaign at Harlequins on November 20.
Wing Jack Nowell has been ruled out for a substantial length of time yet to be confirmed after playing both finals with ruptured toe ligaments and Baxter revealed that additional players will miss the start of next season.
“There are two or three other guys who have been hanging on and need little tidy-ups,” said Baxter, who declined to name the players.
Wasps were heroic in defeat and head coach Lee Blackett admits their challenge is picking themselves up after narrowly missing out on their first title since 2008, the conclusion of their own glory days.
In defiance of a troubled build-up caused by an outbreak of coronavirus that saw seven players return positive tests, they produced a defensive masterclass that denied the ruthlessly efficient Exeter close-quarter driving game.
Wasps were 10th when Blackett took over in February and they emerged from lockdown as the Premiership’s form team, reaching the final to write their own fairy tale.
'Coronavirus has really put the kibosh on the nights out and socialising outside the hotel'…
Barbarians lock Tim Swinson spoke to @heagneyl ???on what the team knew they could and couldn't do, and a whole lot more…https://t.co/3HyEUL7EUN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 25, 2020
“Let’s hope this is the start of moving in the right direction, but I do think it will take a little bit of time to get over it and that will be a big challenge for the players,” said Blackett, who revealed his squad have only two and a half weeks off.
“I’m not going to get carried away with what’s happened. We’ve done really well in a short period of time, but hopefully we’re on the right journey. We need to get over this and start again.
“Overall we should be proud of what we’ve done this season, but we came to Twickenham to win. We just came up short.”
Comments on RugbyPass
smith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
36 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.
9 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.
36 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
36 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
36 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.
36 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.
36 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.
36 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
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
36 Go to comments