Richie to retire

By Mark Stevens

Richard Baxter will say an emotional farewell to life at Exeter Rugby Club when he runs out for his final game in a Chiefs jersey in Saturday’s Aviva Premiership clash with Gloucester at Sandy Park (2pm).

The long-serving No.8, who is poised to make his 431st outing for the Devon club, has decided to call time on his senior career and switch his attentions to life away from the game which has served him so well for so many years.

Since making his first team debut away to Fylde on October 11, 1997 – Baxter has established himself as one of the true greats of the club, helping the ambitious Chiefs to reach the highest echelons of the modern-day game.

A mainstay of the Exeter back-row for countless years, the 34-year-old forward admits his decision to hang up his boots has not been an easy one, but feels the time and the setting is right for him to finally call it a day.

Reflecting on a magnificent career, which to date has brought him 126 tries in total, Baxter said: “It has been an incredible journey. When I first started playing I never thought I would stay with the club for this long, so for to me finish with Exeter being a Premiership club – and having been on that journey with them is just fantastic.

“However, it just feels the right time for me to move on to other things. Not many sportsmen get the chance for it to be their decision, either through loss of form, injuries or a club not wanting you, so it’s just feels the right time.”

Baxter’s departure will certainly leave a void within the Exeter playing ranks, especially as the man himself has adapted year-on-year to the demands of the game. Having initially started out in the old amateur days, he has made the transition from those times to semi-professional and, more recently, professional status look so easy.

And asked how he has coped, Baxter replied: “I’m not sure really, but I suppose as a player if you want to progress you have to be changeable and willing to move with the times.  That means if you want to move on, you have to be willing to put in the time and effort, as well as all the extra training sessions.

“At the same time, I suppose as the club has progressed, I’ve just moved with the times and taken advantage of all the extra things on offer at the club.

“There were chances for me to move in the past, but I was married, I had a family, and this is also a lovely part of the world. You only need look at the club’s centurions board to see Exeter is a club that people are happy to stay at and want to play for. So a lot of it, I suppose, is down to the club itself and my family.”

In an age where it’s almost unheard of for a player to stay at one club for his entire career, Baxter says the enjoyment he has gained from pulling on an Exeter jersey has remained as strong as ever throughout his time with the club,

“Playing for Exeter, they’ve always been an ambitious club, and I’ve enjoyed playing for them,” added Baxter, whose older brother Rob is the current head coach. “When I made the decision that I was staying here and going to see it through with Exeter – to then win that Play-Off final against Bristol and get into the Premiership was just fantastic.

“These last few years playing in the Premiership, playing in the Heineken and Amlin Cups, it has all been very enjoyable. There comes a time, though, when you have to look at other things. Obviously with my age I probably can’t go much further within the game, they are looking more at the younger guys to come through at international level, so I guess I have achieved a lot of what I wanted out of the game.”

Some say, however, had Baxter reached the top flight earlier in his career he could easily have represented England on the international stage. However, he remained fiercely loyal to the Chiefs, a point underlined when he played through the pain barrier to help guide the club into the Premiership for the first time in 2010.

“That end of season was a mix of emotions for me,” he explained. “First, I got injured playing against London Welsh in the semi-final and was told I had ruptured my pectoral muscle, so that was a dour moment. However, the medical team said there was a chance I could get an operation in the summer and provided I strapped it up correctly I could play in the final, which I was desperate to do.

“To then play in those finals, which was like a once in a lifetime thing, was a very special feeling and we all know what happened that night in Bristol. For me, that was probably the highlight of my time with the club, but there have been many other special memories over the years.”

For a large part of his playing career, Baxter has had his older brother by his side, either on the field or overseeing his every action from the confines of stands all over England and Europe. And not too far away either is father John and Uncle Paul, both former Exeter players.

“Well, the Baxters have certainly played their part,” he laughs. “We’ve all been here a while and we’ve all played a lot of rugby for the club. Yes, it’s a big part of our lives and I’ve no doubt it will continue to be a big part in the future. It’s almost goes with being a Baxter that you’ll be involved with Exeter Rugby. Playing for the club has given us a lot, but I’d like to think we’ve given plenty back in return.”

Now, though, it’s Baxter’s own family – wife Clare and their three children – who will take centre stage in his retirement. At home on the family farm, his daily activities will be more of working the farm, rather than heavyweight lifting in the Sandy Park gym.

“I will miss the guys, the banter and the feeling after a game, especially when you’ve just won and the sense of achievement it gives you, that’s all pretty special,” said Baxter. “As for the training side of things, especially pre-season, I probably won’t miss that so much. However, what this group of guys – and those I’ve played with over the years – they are a big part of what the club have achieved and a big part of me as well.”

And will Baxter’s two sons, Ben and George, follow in their father’s footsteps?

“I won’t push them into anything, but I will obviously support them in anything they do,” he says. “At the moment Ben is pretty keen that he wants to try rugby, so if he wants to do that I will support him. It will be the same with George, but I won’t  push them into anything.”

That is all for the future, however, and Baxter’s immediate thoughts are on this weekend’s date with the Cherry & Whites and his aim of helping the Chiefs book their place in next season’s Heineken Cup with victory on the last day.

He added: “In an ideal world it would be great to say we’ve won and that we’ve got Heineken Cup rugby again next season, but the bigger picture is the game is a massive fixture for both teams. Hopefully we’ve had a good training week and we’ve been able to put in a big performance to finish. For me, the biggest thing I hope for is that Exeter are in the Premiership for a long, long time.”