Rowe's joy as coaches sign on

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Rugby Club chairman and chief executive Tony Rowe OBE believes an “exciting future” lies ahead for the Chiefs after it was confirmed the club’s current coaching team have all agreed new contracts.

Head coach Rob Baxter, together with assistants Ali Hepher and Rob Hunter; skills coach Ricky Pellow and Head of Strength & Conditioning, Mark Twiggs, have this week all put pen to paper on new deals that will tie them to the Chiefs until 2018.

The news will be seen as a major boost for the Devon club, who currently sit second in the Aviva Premiership and top of both their LV= and European Challenge Cup pools.

Baxter – along with his fellow coaches - has overseen the rise of the Chiefs out of the Championship in 2010 and subsequently into the Premiership and the top levels of European Rugby.

Welcoming the news, Rowe said: “I am absolutely delighted that Rob and all his coaches have agreed new contracts with the club. Together they have overseen what has been the most successful period in the club’s long and distinguished history.

“Not only have they brought the team out of the Championship, but in our subsequent years in the Premiership they have made us become not only a significant force within the English game, but further afield in Europe as well.

“To say they have done an immense job is probably a bit of an understatement, but together Rob and his team have helped to move Exeter Rugby Club onto another level.”

Rowe added: “The fact that we will have them in place for the next three years at least shows how much we value their commitment to the cause. The strides we have made as a club in the last few years cannot be underestimated and much of that is down to the coaching team we have in place.

“Not only have we started to win major trophies with our success in the LV= Cup last season, but we have featured in Europe’s top competitions; we’ve blooded youngsters from our own Academy set-up into the England international set-up and we’ve more then held our own in the Premiership

“As I’ve said before, these are very exciting times for everyone associated with Exeter Rugby Club and I’m thrilled that we will have all of these coaches on board as we look to progress even further.”