Captain Andy got close-up of Baxter’s inner steel
AS well as running a successful family butcher’s business which has shops across the south west of England, Andy Maunder, and his wife Felicity, have done their best to build a scrumhalf family dynasty at Exeter Chiefs. Eldest son, Jack, is the club’s first choice scrum-half, and his younger brother, Sam, a talented up-andcomer.
Andy, a former Exeter captain and No.9 who scored 49 tries in 149 appearances for the club from the late 1980s into the 1990s – when he played alongside Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter – says he inherited the scrum-half genes from his maternal grandfather, John Sitters, who played in the position for Devon.
Andy says he was introduced to passing as soon as he could walk, and he continued the tradition: “I remember my grandad throwing a cushion to me from early days – and both the boys were given rugby balls at their first birthdays. I started teaching them two-on-one passing as soon as they could stand. My passing wasn’t the best in the world, so I thought theirs would be!”
He adds: “As well as rugby, Jack and Sam played cricket, tennis – any sport – and I still beat the drum that kids should have a go at all sports. Even juggling stones down on the beach, which we did, reinforces rugby skills. So does cricket, which is a mentally tough sport –
they were both wicketkeepers, and that all rubs off. I always text both boys before every game to say enjoy it, and it’s been great to see Jack’s confidence and sense of belonging grow.”
Andy has unstinting praise for what Baxter has achieved. “Rob took on the captaincy from me. He was very concise, and a thinker about the game even then, but was also a ferocious player who put his head where it hurt, and followed up his words with actions. He has a steel to him that is impressive – he says what he means, and means what he says, even if it is uncomfortable. The analysis he does now, which he’s brilliant at, does not surprise me.”
Andy says that, like Felicity, the mothers of rugby players also deserve special mention. “The emotional support they give their sons and daughters to fulfil their dreams is remarkable, putting the same passion in, but also putting the game in the wider perspective of life, which is very important.”