I thought OBE was a prank:Baxter
London: Rob Baxter’s initial response to being given an OBE in the New Year Honours list was to suspect it might be a prank. Exeter’s director of rugby has been recognised after masterminding a domestic and European double last season, a decade after the Chiefs secured promotion into the English top flight for the first time.
Captain and first five eighth Joe Simmonds has also been honoured for his role in transforming the club into the continent’s dominant force by receiving an MBE.
“I couldn’t quite work out if it was real or whether it was spam or someone having bit of a prank!” Baxter said.
“It turned up by email and not in an official letter. You download it, read it and check who it has been emailed from with a Google search!
“I was sat there with my wife, both of us in a slightly bemused state. My family are delighted. There’s a bit of surprise. My wife and my family are my biggest supporters. They said ‘well done, well deserved.’
“There’s a little bit of embarrassment on my end that I was the guy with the award on the back of the journey the rugby club have had.
“I see it as a fantastic honour but while I’m the guy who tends to pick up the accolades, I know an awful lot of people have worked extremely hard at the rugby club to make us successful.
“It started a long time ago and has involved a lot of people. My overriding emotion is to thank them because their dedication and hard work needs recognising.”
Exeter became the fourth English club to complete the Premiership and Champions Cup double, joining Leicester,
Wasps and Saracens, but it is their success in reaching the pinnacle from humble origins that captures the imagination. When the game turned professional in 1995, the Chiefs were operating in the fourth tier. They gained promotion to the Premiership in 2010 and have built steadily since, culminating in a trophy-laden 2019/20.