England turn to Baxter

Posted on Mar 26, 2013 in England

Rob Baxter has spoken of his delight after it was confirmed today that he will form part of England’s coaching team for their summer’s tour to Argentina.

The Exeter Chiefs head coach, along with Saracens defence and forwards coach Paul Gustard, will form part of the coaching team assembled by England head coach Stuart Lancaster for the trip to South America in June.

Subject to Aviva Premiership placings, Tavistock-born Baxter will link up with Lancaster and attacking skills coach Mike Catt to prepare for the Killik Cup against the Barbarians at Twickenham on May 26, while Gustard will be available once Saracens’ Premiership and Heineken Cup involvement has ended.

It is – according to the man himself – a "massive honour", but it’s a challenge and experience the 42-year-old is keen to take on having overseen the rise of the Chiefs out of the Championship in 2010. Since then Baxter has been the guiding light as the Devon club made their mark in the Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup.

"Obviously I am delighted to have been asked to be part of Stuart’s coaching team," he said. "I see it as a fantastic opportunity for me to do what we keep saying to the players here at the club, which is to keep learning; keep doing better and experience new things. For me, this is a fantastic opportunity to experience something different; learn from other coaches such as Stuart, Mike Catt and Paul (Gustard); learn from different experiences and work with some different players.

"As a coaching staff we often talk about how important it is that we work as hard as the players in terms of the things we do. Personally, I see this as a chance to do that, but also a chance to work in a different environment and see what I can bring back to the club."

Since leading the Chiefs into the top flight, Baxter – who figured in excess of 300 league and cup games for Exeter during his playing days – has not been short of creditable suitors around the game. Many have praised his coaching abilities, whilst last season his efforts were rewarded when he collected the Aviva Premiership Director of Rugby accolade.

However, Baxter insists the rise of his team has been down to those working alongside him at Sandy Park. He added: "Yes this is a fantastic opportunity for me personally, but I am also very aware that opportunities like this come along because other people work within the club have worked very hard as well. I’ve said many times that we have a really good set of coaches here, not just on the rugby side, but conditioners, physios and the off-field staff too.

"The way those people work, along with the players, have given me this opportunity simply because of the hard work they’ve all put in. By having good seasons and good performances, the people that are in charge are seen as doing a good job. I don’t think I would get seen quite as well if the team did not perform so well.
In some ways, it’s a nice little reward for those people as well, but as tends to happen when you’re the boss, I am the guy that gets the credit. But from my perspective, I like to thank them all of them for their hard work as this is what creates opportunities like this."

And it is club matters that will keep Baxter fully focused in the build-up to the June tour. He continued: "I am very pleased to have been considered for the position, but what I have to do now is do a good job for Exeter. First and foremost, it’s about putting all this to the back of my mind for now and worrying more about it when the season finishes.

"I certainly won’t be doing too much before then as we have to get through what is a very important set of fixtures for the club. We’ve got some very big games coming up and that has to be my main focus."

With many of England top name stars likely to be needed with the Lions Down Under, the Argentina tour not only offers Baxter a chance to sample life at international level, but also players who will be keen to stake their claim under Lancaster.

"Because of the Lions tour, it will be a slightly different squad of England players going on tour. It will be an opportunity for some to go out and perform for England, so I am hoping that it makes it very exciting for those guys. They will all want to play well, but it’s going to be tough against what will be a very solid Argentina squad. However, I am sure that is how Stuart will want it. He will want a tough environment for his players as ultimately that will be how they improve as a team.

"My role primarily will be to look after the forwards, but what I will need to do is meet up with Stuart and Graham Rowntree and look at things they are working on and what they want to have in place for next year. Obviously part of my role will be to put a bit of a personal stamp on things, but mainly it’s about fitting into what is there already. They’ve just had a successful Six Nations with their current group and it’s very much about maintaining a lot of what they’ve done in that and then looking to improve in other areas."

Baxter’s call-up has been backed by officials at the Chiefs and the coach was quick to praise the support he has received from the board and chief executive, Tony Rowe OBE

"For England to talk to me they had to get permission from the club," explained Baxter. "Throughout, the club and the board have been very supportive. They are very aware it’s a good chance for me to improve as a coach and they’ve given me 100 per cent backing from the outset.

"Sometimes when you look back and see how the club has progressed over the last few years – like playing in the Premiership and the Heineken Cup; like having international players and the opportunity to go on international tours – these are all things we want to progress at the club. We want to be seen as a positive and progressive club and hopefully more of these things will come to our players and our coaches in the future."

Welsh commits to Warriors

Posted on Mar 26, 2013 in Glasgow

Prop Jon Welsh has given Glasgow Warriors a huge boost ahead of a number of crucial games, by signing a new two-year contract with the club.

The deal means he’ll be at Scotstoun Stadium until at least May 2015.

The tight-head prop, who made his Scotland debut against Italy in last year’s Six Nations championship, has made 70 appearances for the Warriors since joining them from amateur club, GHA in 2008.

The 26-year-old was called up to the Scotland squad for this year’s Six Nations championship and last month played for Scotland A in their win over England.

Jon Welsh said: “I am very happy to have committed my future to the Warriors and I am looking forward to playing my part in bringing success to this club.

“It has been a frustrating season for me having missed several months through injury, but now that I’m back to full match fitness I am looking forward to being involved in the remaining games this season.

“We have a really strong squad, who all work hard for each other and the facilities at Scotstoun are excellent, so this was a really easy decision for me to make.”

Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend said: “This is excellent news for the club and it will give our squad a big boost ahead of some hugely important games.

“Jon worked hard during his injury lay-off to build up his strength and has been putting in the hours in recent weeks to get back to full fitness. He is respected by both coaches and players and is a key part of our future.

“Jon has shown that players from the club game can make the jump to professional rugby and he should be an example to others looking to make the breakthrough.

“We’re delighted to keep him at Scotstoun for the next couple of years and he will undoubtedly have a big role to play.”

Wasps international stars ready for return to action

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in London Wasps

Wasps take on Northampton in a return to Aviva Premiership action on Saturday at Adams Park (15.15)

James Haskell won his 50th cap in the final game of the 6 Nations against Wales, and he says despite the disappointment of the loss, it was a proud moment.

“When you start out your career, getting one cap is a huge honour and so to get to 50 is massive for me. It was a frustrating end to the tournament and on a personal note even more so as that’s twice in my career a Grand Slam has slipped away. However I think that the atmosphere that Stuart Lancaster has created is great and we are heading in the right direction with lots of young talent coming through. I am almost 28 but I hope there are a few years ahead of me at international level as this is a side with a lot of potential. There are so many guys coming through in the back row so the competition is fierce. The important thing when you come back to your Club is that you have to get straight back into it”
Looking ahead to Northampton Haskell added.

“I am happy to be back and preparing for the game on Saturday. I got a bit of banter from Dai Young of course when I got back, but it’s good be amongst it again. Northampton have huge aspirations and forwards wise they are outstanding so we need to make sure we bring our A game up front if we want to get back winning.”

Joe Launchbury started every 6 Nations game and the 21-year-old says he has soaked up huge experience to bring back to Wasps.

“It is a long tournament and it’s mentally draining with the turnaround you get. It’s nice to be back at Wasps with a bit more of a regular life and crack on here now even though I hugely enjoyed being part of the England set up. It’s a great environment and in large parts of the tournament we were able to show that we were thriving on that, but of course we are bitterly disappointed with how it ended up. We have to remember that pain and remember how it felt to watch Wales lift the Championship in front of us. We need to use it to get better.”

Launchbury is relishing getting back to club action.

“It feels like a long time since I was here so I’m delighted to be back. I was a bit ill for a few days when the tournament ended so I had a few long sleeps and had a few days to recover but I am raring to go now again. It is a big challenge for us, up front this weekend. Northampton have some huge ball carriers so we need to impose ourselves physically. The games we have left are challenging but it’s a really exciting time and we’re not shying away from it. We want to be in the knock out stages of major competitions and it is up to us to take these next few weeks by the throat and take what we can out of it.”

Andrea Masi was one of the stars of Italy’s 6 Nations campaign, also returning to Wasps in the middle of the tournament.

“I am tired because there were so many games in the last few weeks but it is always a pleasure to come back here and play for Wasps. The next few games are hugely important for us and I want to be part of all of them and take a break when the season ends.”
On Italy’s overall tournament, Masi is taking plenty of positives, while playing down his nomination for 6 Nations Player of the Tournament.

“We finished the tournament well with the win over Ireland and overall I think we played our best rugby ever at times in the 6 Nations and that’s important as we are now really building something for the next World Cup. The game against England was disappointing that we didn’t win it and we needed a bit more belief but we were very competitive against one of the best sides in the world which we need to take positives from. Being nominated for that award is nice but I don’t feel I deserve to be in that category. There are so many players in Wales who deserve that much more than me.”

Powell relishes promotion push with Falcons

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Newcastle Falcons

Newcastle Falcons’ latest signing Adam Powell is fired-up for this Friday’s RFU Championship blockbuster at second place Nottingham (kick-off 7.45pm).

The talented centre, 26, who has spent the last eight seasons in the capital with Saracens, is keen to help the Falcons maintain their impressive winning streak which now stretches to 24 games in all competitions.

“Coming from Saracens I’m used to a winning mentality, and it is evident here that confidence is high,” said Romford-born Powell.

“We were brought down to earth a little bit against Bedford a couple of weeks ago, and hopefully that is the scare that we needed going into the play-offs,” he added.

Now Powell is focussed on propelling the Falcons back to the big time at the first time of asking under the stewardship of Dean Richards.

“I think this is the best part of the season as you start getting the big matches such as the semi-finals and finals, and it’s a time that all players look forward to,” said Powell.

He added: “At the moment we just want to win every game that we play going into the end of season play-offs.”

Upping sticks to Newcastle last week, the cockney born and bred hit-man admits he has received a friendly welcome from everyone at the club.

He said: “Everyone has been really friendly to me and I have been made to feel welcome – it also helps that Noah [Cato] is here as I’ve known him for a long time.”

You can watch more of Powell’s interview on Falcons TV shortly.

Isaacs commits to Ospreys for two more years

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Ospreys

The Ospreys have confirmed that Tom Isaacs has become the latest player to sign a new deal with the region.

26-year old Isaacs has committed to the Ospreys beyond the end of this season, putting pen to paper on a new two-year contract which keeps him at the Liberty Stadium until the summer of 2015.

Isaacs, a Wales age-grade cap and Sevens World Cup winner, joined the Ospreys in the summer 2009, and after injuries hampered his first year with the region he has become an increasingly influential member of the playing squad.

He made his debut for the region against the Dragons at the Liberty Stadium in October 2010, with his first start coming four months later in February 2011 against London Wasps. He made his 50th appearance for the region last month in the PRO12 fixture against Connacht in Galway, and was out of contract at the end of the season.

“I’m delighted to sign up for another two years” said Isaacs.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far. I know that I’ve learnt a lot over the last four years and I feel I’m still learning every day when I come to work at Llandarcy. There’s a great set-up here with some fantastic coaches. I’ve got some great friends here, it’s a place where I’m really happy to be.

“I had a difficult first year due to injuries but I had great support and I was able to put that behind me. Over the last three seasons, and the last 24 months in particular, I’ve been able to play a part in what the team is doing and it keeps getting better for me.

“I’ve had a good run this season, and that’s something I’ve really enjoyed. Like I said, I’m still learning a hell of a lot, from the coaches and my team-mates, but if I keep working hard I can hopefully cement my place in the team over the next two years.”

Andy Lloyd, Rugby Operations Manager at the Ospreys, commented:

“Tom has done really well over the last 18 months, we’ve really seen him develop on and off the field. There’s no getting away from his versatility, but he has been able to establish himself more and more as a 13 with some solid performances.

“He’s capable of producing some really exciting moments, he can beat people and he’s physical, which is a good place to start from. He’s getting better and better, and we see Tom as a big part of our future.

“It’s great news that Tom has committed himself to the Ospreys, becoming the latest player to sign a new contract for next season and beyond. Although the financial climate remains challenging, the steps that we have taken as a business to put us on a more stable, sustainable footing, means that we can look ahead to the future positively, with decisions being made for rugby reasons.”

Isaacs follows on from Duncan Jones, Rhys Webb and Joe Bearman in signing new contracts recently, while young forwards Lloyd Peers and James King did so at the end of December.