EXETER CHIEFS boss Rob Baxter is destined for greatness at international level with England and the Lions – but only after he has steered his club to European glory.
That is the view of Baxter's most trusted aide at Sandy Park – the club doctor tasked with ensuring a safe return to action for the table-topping Chiefs.
Baxter, 49, has worked wonders at the Devon club and this week marked the ten-year anniversary of their historic promotion to the top flight.
The Chiefs' remarkable rise reached a glorious crescendo when they beat Wasps in the 2017 title decider at Twickenham.
What hometown boy Baxter, who captained the club for a decade and still lives on the family farm, has achieved at Exeter is the stuff of fairytales.
Long-serving club doctor, Professor Adrian Harris, told The Rugby Paper: “I believe Rob will be England coach one day but he's still a relatively young man and I think he feels he's got much more to achieve here, such as winning a couple of European Cups.
“He will know if he does well for England he could eventually get the British and Irish Lions job, which would cap any career.
“The only place I can see him going from Exeter is England. Any other Premiership club? Not in a million years.
“He did one England tour as assistant to Stuart Lancaster in 2013 but I can see him doing another decade at the Chiefs and then taking charge of England.”
Prof Harris, Dr Adam Reuben and Dr Lewis Jones form a formidable trio of medical experts at Sandy Park.
Between them they boast over 50 years' service to the Chiefs and are currently working to ensure Baxter's players are able to return in the safest possible manner.
Exeter could resume training from June 8 and Prof Harris, who joined the Chiefs in 1998, added: “We believe we have made a difference to the club's success.
“Rob is a phenomenal leader of men and a fantastic judge of character who pulls us all together.
“We talk to the other doctors and the physios throughout the Premiership and we have a unique relationship with Rob.
“What we get with Rob is that he doesn't argue with us. If we say ‘x player isn't fit' he might say ‘is there anything exceptional you can do to get them fit?'
“But some of that conflict medical teams have with their director of rugby, we just don't have.
“It's a relationship built on trust and respect and our return to play is ahead of most, if not all, other clubs.
“You only have to look at our injury list towards the back end of the season and we are always in good shape.
Dr Reuben said: “There are so many clubs where you get the impression the director of rugby will put undue pressure on the medical team.
“I've never been in that position. I've removed players from the field at crucial times and never once had that judgment questioned.
“Nor will it ever be. They trust our judgment.”
ROSS HEPPENSTALL
