HAIL TO THE CHIEF
Local hero Baxter the architect of Exeter’s European triumph
NO WONDER Rob Baxter was so emotional. All of his adult life has been spent helping his beloved local club climb to this glorious pinnacle.
On his watch, Exeter have risen from the Championship to the Premiership, won the domestic cup, then the league title and now they stand proudly as the new champions of Europe.
It has been a decade- long sporting fairytale — with Baxter’s fingerprints all over it.
First as a player, in the footsteps of his father and alongside his brother, then as a long- time captain and latterly as head coach, then director of rugby, the 49- year- old has elevated the Chiefs to the top table of the game in the northern hemisphere.
What happened at Ashton Gate on Saturday, in the greatest continental final, represented Exeter and Baxter’s finest hour.
In the build-up, he had been asked about his quarter-century of service and issued a polite clarification, saying: ‘It’s actually over 30 years here. The first game I played was when I was 16 or 17, so that’s 33, 34 years ago. It feels like the blink of an eye.’
Having given body and soul to the Chiefs for so long, it was understandable Baxter was overcome by a mixture of jubilation and relief. Even an hour after the game, his mind was still so scrambled that he kept referring to a one-point win when it ended 31-27, and he struggled to hold back the tears.
When the deed was done, he made an important phone call. ‘I rang my wife Jo,’ said Baxter. ‘She was pretty emotional and it made me a bit emotional. We have been together a long time — my whole playing career and coaching career — and she has seen the highs and lows.
‘It was a special couple of minutes. To start with, she was just screaming at me in emotional joy, then we managed to talk about the journey to get here.’
There were hugs and handshakes for his players, then Baxter ( right) broke off from a pitch- side TV interview to watch them celebrating in a huddle with the Heineken Champions Cup trophy.
He had a look of almost paternalistic pride in the men he has moulded into European conquerors. Later, his eyes glistened as he spoke high up in a stand, before a moment of solitary contemplation as he waited for a lift to take him back down to the changing-room party. Baxter is an eloquent man, so even as he struggled to stay composed, he spoke well, from the heart, about what it meant to him and his squad. ‘I’m a bit all over the place,’ he said. ‘The game happened and the result happened but now we are sitting in a quiet, concrete bowl and it doesn’t feel real. That’s probably what is holding back the reality which will come over the next couple of days. ‘ This is the most special moment. It is a great reward for a group of players, for what they have done for four or five years. They’ve had a lot of heartache but they have kept fighting. This is vindication of a group of players who care about each other and want to achieve something.’ He could have been talking about himself. Vividly illustrated on Saturday was how much Baxter cares about his players and wants to guide them to epic achievements. They have responded to his passion, his coaching methods and his man-management instincts.
They are just the sixth English club to become European champions and they will seal a famous Double if they can win the
Premiership final against Wasps on Saturday.
The Baxter family are already part of the fabric of their club and community, and Rob — who was given a place on the board in 2018 — has long since entered local folklore. He has done so by being an engaging, enthusiastic figure who enjoys his work, but also a canny and tough customer when required.
He has recruited shrewdly — choosing people who are the right fit rather than chasing reputations. And while quick to praise his team, he will wield the stick, as shown after a defeat at Northampton in December 2018, when Baxter said: ‘Sometimes a Christmas party after beating Saracens isn’t the best way to prepare.’
Baxter is regularly touted as an England head coach in waiting, despite his repeated attempts to dismiss such a scenario — certainly in the near future.
He is the leading domestic candidate to one day replace Eddie Jones but before last year’s World Cup, Exeter chairman Tony Rowe was bullish about keeping him at Sandy Park. That is certainly the case at this stage with a Double looming but the
situation may change. By the time of the next World Cup in 2023, Baxter’s exeter may have accumulated several more titles and prizes. Perhaps then, if the stars align and the RFU pursue him, he will be persuaded to answer his country’s call.
For now though, his objective is to recover from the emotional turmoil of the Chiefs’ super Saturday and plot another one next weekend. EXETER: Hogg 7; Nowell 7.5, Slade 7, Whitten 6.5 (Devoto 59min, 6.5), O’Flaherty 6; J Simmonds 7.5, Maunder 6 (Hidalgo-Clyne 65, 7); Hepburn 7 (Moon 56, 6.5), Cowan-Dickie 8 (Yeandle, 56, 6.5), Williams 7.5 (Francis 56, 5); Gray 7 (Skinner 59, 6), Hill 9; Ewers 8, S Simmonds 8, Vermeulen 6 (Kirsten 56, 6.5). RACING 92: Zebo 8 (Beale 65, 5); Dupichot 6.5, Vakatawa 7 (Klemenczak 76), Chavancy 6.5, Imhoff 7.5; Russell 7, Iribaren 4.5 (Machenaud 41, 6); Ben Arous 7 (Kolingar 51, 6), Chat 8 (T Baubigny 51, 6.5), Colombe 7 (Oz 51, 6); Le Roux 8, Bird 6.5; Lauret 6, Claassen 6.5 (Palu 76), Sanconnie 7. Referee: Nigel Owens 8.