Horstmann set for new role
By Mark Stevens
31/12/17
Kai Horstmann says he is looking forward to an exciting new chapter in his career after it was today confirmed he is to take on a new role with the Exeter Chiefs.
The 36-year-old will call time on his distinguished playing career when his existing deal expires at the end of the season and he will swap life in the Chiefs changing room for that within the club’s corporate sales team.
A key figure in the recent rise of the Chiefs, the experienced back-row forward is to take on the role vacated by another former player, Chris Bentley, who signs off from his current role following this afternoon’s Aviva Premiership clash with Leicester Tigers.
“It’s exciting times for me and a great opportunity to stay involved with the club,” explained Horstmann. “It’s something I’m sure will be a little foreign to me to start with, but it’s something in the long term to really enjoy.”
Brought to Sandy Park by Rob Baxter after seven years at Worcester, Horstmann has established himself firmly within the first team ranks at the Chiefs, helping the Devon club to not only lift the LV= Cup in 2014, but also the Premiership for the first time back in May.
This season, however, a couple of niggling injuries, plus the form of his team-mates in the back-row, have meant opportunities have to date been limited for the Harare-born forward.
In an ideal world Horstmann would love to continue well into the future, but he acknowledges time is against him. He added: “I think your heart tells you that you want to play forever, but opportunities like this don’t come along every day. You have to listen to your body - and it’s probably the right time, even though I’d like to think I have a few years left in me.
“It’s the right moment for me to try something new, but first I’d like to see the season off on a big high and play my part alongside the boys in whatever capacity that is.After that, I can focus on the new challenge and all that it will bring.”
Keen to be part of the Chiefs moving forward, father-of-two Horstmann said it was always his intention to conclude his career at Exeter.
“I’ve has some special moments at the club over the years,” he said. “When I moved to the club, I needed that transition and that new challenge, it kind of opened my eyes to how rugby clubs should be run and how changing rooms should be.
“The ambition of the club was there for all to see and I am hugely grateful to Rob for giving me the chance to come here, I have loved every minute of it. The back-row battle here has always been intense, and over the years we’ve added fresh faces and we’ve always looked to strengthen things, but you look at the current squad, it’s frightening the talent that is in it. I have always had to dig in and fight, but thankfully I have got a few rewards at the end of it.”
Although Horstmann will be entering into a much different environment to that of which he has been accustomed to over the years, he is no stranger to business having started his own wine company, Tivoli Wines, with his wife Caroline in the past.
“I know bits and pieces about the outside world and business,” he added. “Starting Tivoli Wines with my wife (Caroline) was a real eye-opener, I learnt a lot going along. There is probably a fair amount I still need to get to grips with, but that’s all part of the challenge. It will be different from the environment I am used to, but that’s life and, as I said, I look at it as a very exciting opportunity for me.”
One man keen to see Horstmann succeed in his new role is Baxter, who says it was imperative to keep such an influential character involved with the club.
“Kai has been fantastic ever since he arrived and he’s been one of the drivers of what we have wanted to achieve here amongst the playing squad,” said the Chiefs’ Director of Rugby. “At the same time, he’s capped it off by playing very well himself.
“He has been an important member of the squad over the last few years, but that is why it feels comfortable for all of us that he is moving into a senior role here at the club. Having a link from the board down to the senior coaching staff, down to the players, the academy, it’s very important - and the whole cultural link-up of all that is what makes us a very good club. I think we work very hard at it, we don’t take it for granted, and I think Kai is someone who will fit very well into that.
“At this stage, he will be available as a player until the end of the season, but it’s a role in the long-term that I feel he will fill very well and be very successful with. People will enjoy working with him and getting to know more about the club, not just through the corporate side, but right down to the playing side because of the experience he can bring.”
Baxter also had special mention for the character shown by Horstmann during his time with the Chiefs. He continued: "There have been plenty of times since Kai arrived when it has not been easy for him. He’s had a couple of significant injuries along the way, which could have stopped a lot of players in their tracks, but he got on with things, worked hard on his rehab, and when he has not been in the side he has been one of the lead guys in helping to drive standards up. That’s really what has created all the opportunities for him and it’s a good lessons for others who have been in and around him to learn from."
