Chiefs v Tigers is a sell-out

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Exeter Chiefs

Saturday’s Aviva Premiership encounter between Exeter Chiefs and Leicester Tigers is now a complete sell-out.

The final few tickets for the game, which will kick-off at the slightly later time of 5pm, were sold on Wednesday morning.

That means a capacity crowd will be turning out to see if Rob Baxter’s side can build on their recent wins over London Welsh and Harlequins, whilst at the same time looking to avenge their 30-8 defeat earlier in the season by the Tigers at Welford Road.

Commenting, Exeter Rugby Club chairman and chief executive, Tony Rowe OBE, said: "Games between ourselves and Leicester are always hugely entertaining affairs and we expect this one to be no different.

"The fact that both sides are pushing hard at the top end of the table, I think it means this game has all the makings for another top quality encounter."

Tickets for Exeter’s final two home games against London Irish (April 13) and Gloucester (May 4) are also selling fast, so supporters are advised to purchase their tickets now in a bid to avoid disappointment. These can be purchased either online via the Exeter Chiefs official website or through the Trading Post, which is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm.

Baxter’s delight at adding Welsh wing

Posted on Jan 25, 2013 in Exeter Chiefs

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has made his first signing for next season with the capture of Welsh international Tom James from the Cardiff Blues.

The 25-year-old winger, who has agreed a two-year deal with the Aviva Premiership club, joins the Chiefs after a successful seven-year stint with the Welsh region.

Capped ten times by his country, James was on the score sheet when the Blues defeated Gloucester 50-12 in 2008 to lift the EDF Energy Cup, and he was also part of Cardiff’s Amlin Challenge Cup winning squad of 2010.

With 39 tries in 114 appearances for the Blues, Baxter believes his new recruit will help offer additional firepower to his attacking arsenal for next season.

“Obviously we are delighted to have got Tom on board,” said Baxter. “Each year what you have to try and do is progress and move forward as a squad. We’ve had a good look at Tom over a period of time and for us it’s difficult to ignore proven try-scorers, who have got a very good ability to break the gain line.

“One of Tom’s biggest attributes is his ability to beat that first tackle from almost any scenario and I think that is the biggest qualities you need when you come up against big, strong defences.

“He is a very professional trainer, he’s in exceptionally good physical nick; he’s incredibly quick and, as I said, he has a great ability to beat the first defence and those are key attributes for us.”

James, who joined the Blues in 2006 from Merthyr RFC, wasted little time in making an impression at his new club as he scored a try on his first-team debut against Edinburgh.

Since then, the hard-running winger has represented Wales not only at full international level, but also at Sevens and Under-20s standard.

And Baxter believes a willingness to work hard, both in training and in matches, will help re-ignite the player in his bid to add to his current tally of international caps.

He added: “Having met Tom what I liked about him from the outset was that he was keen to challenge himself in a new environment. He wants a different challenge to the Rabodirect Pro12, a competition he has done very well for Cardiff in for a number of years, and for us it’s a good match-up.

“He’s a guy who is still relatively young and still developing as a player, but he acknowledges there are areas of his game that he can add to and he wants the challenge of attacking the Premiership and hopefully the Heineken Cup with us.

“Adding pace and someone who can break the gain line like he does is something we are keen to add. At the moment we have some very good wing options here, but we feel this is one of those recruitment options that will only improve the squad further.

“From talking to Tom you could see he is ambitious and that includes trying to play at the highest level. Obviously he has played for Wales in the past and I am sure he will want to do that again in the future.

“We’ve made no secret of the fact that we want all of our players to be ambitious. We want them to be striving to play international rugby, not just for England, but for all the home nations.

“For the club, it’s fantastic to see Craig Mitchell back for Wales and it’s unfortunate TJ has picked up his injury and misses out with England. However, we are desperate to force through even more of our players into these international squads.”

The arrival of James to Sandy Park may signal the first of Baxter’s recruitment plans for next term, but the Exeter leader insists there will not be a plethora of new faces coming to Devon.

“We won’t want to add too many new faces,” said Baxter. “We’ve got a good academy group coming through at the moment and I think the guy that has stood out in the last couple of months has been Jack Nowell. When you look at him you say ‘what has he added to the squad?’

“Well, what Jack has added is that ability to break the gain line and you can see the difference that makes. Those are the kinds of backs we are looking to work with and alongside those attributes Tom has also got very good pace.

“He has played in Cup Finals, internationals and the Rabodirect for a number of years, yet we still feel he is a guy who has the mental capabilities to keep improving and developing. As I said, we are looking forward to working with him and seeing what he can bring to the team.”

Chiefs confirm Muldowney departure

Posted on Jan 25, 2013 in Exeter Chiefs

After two seasons with the Exeter Chiefs, Aly Muldowney is to depart Sandy Park at the end of the current campaign to take up a new challenge with Irish province Connacht.

Signed by Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter from Glasgow Warriors, the 29-year-old forward has since gone onto feature 35 times for the club in all competitions.

The Stafford-born second-row, who is Irish qualified by virtue of his father being born in Newbridge, Co.Kildare, has agreed a three-year contract with the Galway-based outfit.

Commenting on the news, Baxter said: "Obviously we are sad to see Aly moving on from the club. He was offered a new deal by us, but obviously this move is a great opportunity for him and his family.

"We of course wish him all the best for the future and thank him for his contribution to the club. However, there is still just under half a season to go for us all and we envisage him playing his part between now and the end of the season."

Muldowney, who will always be remembered by the Exeter faithful for his last-gasp try at Gloucester last season, added: "It was a tough decision to leave the Chiefs because I have really enjoyed my time at the club.

"Since coming to Exeter I feel my game has come on leaps and bounds, especially working with Rob [Baxter], Ali [Hepher], Ricky [Pellow] and all the other coaches. Also the support I’ve received from everyone, especially the supporters, has been amazing.

"Moving to Connacht, though, is a great opportunity for me and my family. I have watched them play in the Heineken Cup this year and they are a really tough side with some great players.

"Having played against them before whilst at Glasgow I know that they are tough opponents, so I’m really looking forward to being a part of the team and adding what I can. It’s also an exciting time for the club also with a new Head Coach in Pat Lam coming in."

Chiefs looking to cut the error count

Posted on Jan 4, 2013 in Exeter Chiefs

A New Year begins in earnest for the Exeter Chiefs tomorrow and assistant coach Ali Hepher is hopeful his side will get 2013 off to a bang by seeing off visiting Northampton Saints at Sandy Park (3pm).

After a Christmas period which could – and probably should – have brought a sack-full of points from clashes with Gloucester and Bath, the Devon club ended up more with leftovers, rather than the rewards their hard-working efforts merited.

The boot of England international Freddie Burns ultimately denied the Chiefs in a ding-dong battle at Kingsholm, before a late penalty try last week ensured Bath headed home with a share of the spoils.

Although winless in both clashes, Hepher insists the mood within the Chiefs camp remains as buoyant as ever, especially as this weekend’s encounter is the last in the top flight for a month.

"Saturday is a big game for sure, but it’s one we are certainly looking forward to," said Hepher. "It’s our last game in the Premiership for a while, so we want to try and make sure we have some momentum to take back into the competition in February. We’ve got four weeks of Cup action to come in both the Heineken and LV=, but the Premiership remains our priority.

"That’s why we want to get a good performance in this week because if we do, then it will set us up nicely in terms of our position and put us in the race for one of those top four spots."

Currently Exeter are seventh in the standings with Northampton a point and a place above them. However, fourth-placed Gloucester are just three points ahead of the Chiefs with Wasps also in the mix following their latest win at London Welsh a week ago.

As a former Saint himself, Hepher knows all too well of the qualities Northampton will bring to the West-country and with the visitors smarting following a narrow defeat to Saracens, this latest match-up promises to be a belter.

"They were very unlucky last week and could easily have come away with a win," admitted Hepher, who was a Heineken Cup winner with the Saints in 2000. "Any side who goes to Ulster and wins is no bad side. We know they will be tough; they’ll be strong up front; physical and that we will have to front up from the outset. At the same time, we are focused mainly on ourselves and making sure we do our jobs right.

"It’s exciting for me, of course it is, simply because of my links with the club. I’ll no doubt get a bit of banter from back home and I still have a lot of friends at the club, but equally it’s another game and you prepare in the same way as you would any other game. We’ve had a good, full training week this week and looking at things we feel fully prepared for the game."

As always the Chiefs have dissected the threats of the opposition in some detail, whilst at the same time performing their only series of tweaks to their own game plan.

And Hepher admits that although certain issues were flagged up in recent weeks, overall the Exeter coaching staff are content with the progress being made out on the pitch.

"We are pleased with the way things are going," he added. "At the moment we are top of table for tries scored and we’re playing some really good rugby. We are attacking in a different way at the minute, but equally we change our attack week by week, depending on opposition and conditions.

"Looking at our games the tactical battles we’ve been very good at. We dominated territory at the weekend against Bath and we had dominance in possession for long spells, so all the stats virtually went for us. The only one that probably didn’t was that we gave away too many penalties and that allowed Bath in at the end.

"We’ve talked about discipline and driving it down a bit, but the good thing is that not too many of those penalties were crazy ones and we can address most of them. The big thing is that we look to cut them down this week and take the pressure off ourselves and put the pressure on the opposition. Other than that, the rest of our game is in good shape."

Ahead of kick-off the Chiefs have been forced to tinker slightly with their starting line-up, including replacing former Northampton prop Brett Sturgess who broke his arm in last weekend’s 12-12 draw with Bath.

Into the number one jersey comes Ben Moon, whilst alongside him at hooker Neil Clark also starts in place of Simon Alcott. Other changes to the pack see Tom Johnson and Ben White recalled into the back-row, whilst James Hanks steps up to partner Dean Mumm in the Exeter engine room. Behind, the solitary change sees Ian Whitten brought into the midfield in place of Jason Shoemark.

On the bench, there is a first Premiership involvement for hooker Jack Yeandle, Welsh international Craig Mitchell returns for the first time since rupturing his bicep in the away defeat at London Welsh back in September, and Fijian force Sireli Naqelevuki is also included.

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Momentum is key for Chiefs

Posted on Dec 18, 2012 in Exeter Chiefs

Exeter Chiefs take their seven-game winning streak to Kingsholm this Saturday with flanker James Scaysbrook insisting he and his team-mates must maintain their recent momentum over a busy festive period for the Devon club.

After back-to-back Heineken Cup victories over the Scarlets in the past fortnight, the Chiefs return to Aviva Premiership action against Gloucester this weekend, before then tackling Bath and Northampton Saints in successive weeks.

It’s signals the start of a crucial period in the season for the sixth-placed Chiefs, but one which 30-year-old Scaysbrook says the club are relishing after they showed their worth once more in European rugby’s top competition.

"Momentum is important," said Scaysbrook, who scored Exeter’s final try in last Saturday’s 30-20 win over the Welsh region. "We have had two big victories over the last two weeks and it has really lifted the squad. The Scarlets are a top-quality team with a lot of experienced internationals and we couldn’t ask for much more moving forward.

"Our focus over the last two weeks has just been to put in two really good performances and maintain our momentum. We hoped those good performances would lead to results and whatever comes after that we’ll take.
"We knew it was going to be a tough old game and it certainly was. I’m really pleased we managed to come away with the win again."

Scaysbrook, who led the side in the absence rested club captain Tom Hayes, was not only able to celebrate the win, but also his first try for the Chiefs since the Championship play-off encounter against London Welsh in March 2010.

"I think that was my first try since the Championship years, so I was really pleased to get over," added the all-action flanker. "That hole was so big, anyone could have run through it though."

Now, though, the former Bath forward wants more of the same against the Cherry & Whites, who themselves will be seeking revenge for last season’s defeat by the Chiefs on home soil.

"It is important to keep the momentum going through the different competitions," said Scaysbrook. "We have some tough games over Christmas and the next few weeks so we will do all we can to maintain that form.

"Now we’re involved in the Heineken Cup the squad becomes more and more important and you have to use everyone. We have got a good strong squad now and it is building up all the time. It is going to be vital come the end of the year.

"We have had some tough battles with Gloucester over the years and I think this weekend will be no different."

James Hanks and Ben White commit to the Chiefs

Posted on Dec 13, 2012 in Exeter Chiefs

Head coach Rob Baxter has spoken of his delight after another two of his current Exeter Chiefs squad this week committed their futures to the Devon club.

Forwards James Hanks and Ben White have followed the earlier lead of club-mates Chris Whitehead, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Will Chudley, Phil Dollman and Carl Rimmer in agreeing new deals that will keep them at Sandy Park for a further two years.

Hanks, who has to date made 176 appearances for the club, is one of the club’s longest-serving players having first made his debut for the Chiefs back in 2005 against the Cornish Pirates.

White, on the other hand, is still somewhat of a relative newcomer having signed during the summer of 2011 from Cardiff Blues. He has so far appeared 31 times for the Chiefs, although his current campaign has been hampered by a knee injury sustained in the home win over Harlequins.

Both men, however, are seen as key figures in Exeter’s future and Baxter has wasted little time in tying them down to new contracts.

"It’s fantastic for James to be staying around," said Baxter. "My first involvement with him was when he turned up at Exeter University when I was head a coach. We put him straight in the first team and he hasn’t looked back since as far as he career in Exeter goes.

"I’ve watched him play and develop and watched the part he’s had to play in Exeter moving forward over quite a long period. It’s fantastic that he’s still around but also fantastic that he’s a good player at this level.

"I think he’s still getting better. At 28 he’s probably got the best five or six years of his career ahead of him. My role is to make sure he keeps getting better within the Premiership and European Cup environment. What we want from James is for him to keep working hard to help us develop as a side. We know he’s a good man among the squad and that makes it a very easy deal for us to do.”

On White, Baxter added: "He’s a tough cookie and a different character, the other players will tell you that, but different characters are good within a club.

“He’s one of the guys who fits in very well with what we do. He’s his own man but his work ethic, the way he trains and the enthusiasm he puts on the pitch, have made him very popular at the club.

"As a coach you like working with players who want to improve, especially those who do it in difficult circumstances. Yes, he’s been a little frustrated by his amount of game time, yet he’s still one of our top trainers. That says a lot about his character and we’re confident there’s a lot of good rugby in him.

"Hopefully, as he keeps improving and his opportunities come along, he’s going to take one of them and you never know what could happen. If you take an opportunity and play well there’s every chance you will stay in the first team."