University helps lift Exeter’s challenge
When Rob Baxter outlined his vision for the future of Exeter Chiefs, the director of rugby made no secret of the fact that he would be looking at a number of new kids on the block.
Having seen numerous established stars depart for pastures new last summer, Baxter knew it was imperative that he unearthed a new and exciting generation of onfield talent for his latest rebuild.
To help in that process, the 52-year-old looked no further than the University of Exeter, a wellknown breeding ground for a plethora of gifted rugby stars who have reached the very top of the game.
For years, the Chiefs and the University have worked hand-in-hand to develop a structure and programme that has yielded success, both on and off the field.
The fruits of Exeter's success were highlighted with Daf Jenkins, 21, a current student effectively, being named Wales captain for the Six Nations. Alongside him, Henry Slade and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso were included in England's squad, Ross Vintcent was called up by Italy, while Christ Tshiunza would likely have joined Jenkins had it not been for a foot injury.
“What I am seeing is more and more players wanting to continue their education alongside being a professional,” said Baxter. “Having that distraction away from playing and training, it can help them in terms of their own personal development and their future plans. It ticks so many boxes for not only us, but for the players as well.”
Behind the internationals, Baxter has struck gold with a number of others within his Chiefs ranks this season. Indeed, a quick glance at their latest squad list shows that almost half of those named have had links to the university at some stage.
Baxter adds: “People don't realise just how far the link between the club and the university goes back. I've been involved with it for nearly 25 years, initially playing with guys who were studying here, to then coaching a number of them, to now overseeing what is a fantastic partnership between the two of us, which is producing high-quality Premiership and international standard players.
“Ian Bremner pushed the first part of it, using it as a recruitment tool in a way to bring young players to the area. He was pro- active, bringing in Sam Howard as a player to the club, but who was also able to coach up at the university.
“When Sam moved on, that's when I got involved and it was there that I first saw how beneficial this could be. When I first took temporary charge of the Chiefs, I brought in the likes of Jason Luff and Stephen Bennett, two guys who were performing very well for me at the university.
“Since then, it's just grown and grown. Keith Fleming [former DoR of the University] radically changed the set-up and brought a real professional edge to things. He set up a full coaching set-up, S&C coaches, analysis, all mirroring what we were doing here at the club.
“Looking at it now, it's almost a little odd to call us separate clubs, just because we are so aligned with one another.”
With Fleming having retired last year, there has been no let-up when it comes to the conveyor belt churning out more talent for Baxter to utilise.
“Having Gareth Elliott move from our own team here at the Chiefs to become DoR and Haydn Thomas, whose been part and parcel of it all from day one as a player and then a coach pulling it all together, it's a win-win all round,” added Baxter. “It's such a good link and a fundamental part of what we want to achieve at the club.”
