Chiefs will kick off a new season

EXETER Chiefs’ match against Leicester Tigers today is going ahead as scheduled. But before the match starts, there will be a one-minute silent tribute to Queen Elizabeth II followed by the national anthem.

Exeter Chiefs shared a Premiership Rugby statement on its website yesterday confirming that the two Gallagher Premiership matches due to take place yesterday were being postponed, while matches today and tomorrow would go ahead as scheduled.

With a nod to the past, the Chiefs are making no secret of the fact that they are keen to embrace their new look as the ideal opportunity to unearth a new Exeter.

Amongst that change is for Director of Rugby, Rob Baxter, to take a less ‘hands-on’ approach to match-days, leaving head coach Ali Hepher to move front and centre, while in attack and defence, where new coach Omar Mouneimne has also been added this summer, there have also been new interactions in a bid to reignite the Chiefs charge.

In his media briefing this week, Hepher said: “On match days, Rob necessarily won’t be with the team so I’ll be leading that side of things.

“On away games, he will be travelling separately to the team. He will still be at all the games, he will be very much involved with everything we do, but he won’t be travelling with the team so prematch, matchday post-match I will be dealing with it… I think he will still do the media side of stuff through the week but on matchdays, it will be down to myself and the other coaches. Yeah, a bit of a change in the role but something exciting to get on with.”