Exeter Chiefs - Expectations, emotions & more

‘What I have to make sure doesn’t happen is that it’s the end of a journey.’

One sentence from Rob Baxter summarises Exeter Chiefs’ challenge in the 2017-18 season… building on from that Premiership victory and not letting it overwhelm them or deliver a season akin to the ‘dreaded second album’ from singers. 

At the Aviva Premiership launch yesterday I spent time speaking with their Director of Rugby about a whole host of areas including their recruitment, how they are going to ensure that this time around they start strongly and how European rugby fits into their thinking and planning. Arriving into a new season as the champions isn’t easy however the man driving them forwards is hugely impressive and they're being led into battle with their eyes open and focused firmly on what matters. 

‘The chequebook has been quiet’ was Rob's answer when questioned about his recruitment and as we all know with Exeter Chiefs that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While others often chop and change bringing in oodles of new faces, the Chiefs’ consistency of personnel has become a key character trait. A player only arrives there if there’s a true need for them, a position vacant if you like, they don’t just arrive to boost numbers. Of the six new recruits Nic White and Matt Kvesic made the most headlines on their respective announcement days and without question will add greatly to the Aviva Premiership as will the likes of Sam Underhill, Francis Saili and Toby Flood. However the area that is actually making the man at the helm of the Chiefs stand up and take note is ‘how many good squads of players have stayed in tact and stayed together’.   

It's a sharp observation because if you look at the top sides - Exeter, Wasps and Saracens - as three examples then they all have their nucleus in tact and are set to build again. That core squad of players developing together is something that other teams like Sale Sharks are trying to build for the coming years whereas the top sides have it already. As a result Rob articulated his challenge as being ‘not trying to match other people’s recruitment’ instead their challenge is ‘developing as a group as much as other teams do with time together’. It makes sense doesn’t it? Because if you’re starting as the title holders and you develop more than everyone else then you’ll be putting yourselves into a strong position to contest come May 2018.

It’s the development of individuals, focus on personal standards and attention to performance as opposed to outcome that have been the key parts of their pre-season. The awareness is there that this time last year their start was a slow one and pinpointing reasons the for that, alonsgide developing the mindset around what it means to be a Premiership champion on a day to day level has been important. 

‘What we’ve talked to the players about is looking at the positives and being champions means that I need to show the qualities of a champion and I need to show them today. The champion club of England should turn up and train and perform in a certain way today at training. That’s how we’ve focused things, so rather than looking at when a final might come or what might come in the future we’ve talked about what does it look like today.’

It’s a simple focus, it’s not rocket science yet articulating this loud and clear to the squad and overlaying a steady emotional state on top of this - not celebrating the wins too vigorously and not thinking that losses are the end of the world - will be the basis for Exeter Chiefs this season. It’s sensible, it’s measured and it’s right. 

Hearing from Rob Baxter and speaking to him for a number of seasons now it’s absolutely no surprise that a side that he has nurtured has become Aviva Premiership champions so soon after their arrival in the competition. We always talk about the Devonian outfit being much greater than the sum of their parts and I guarantee that a lot of that is driven by players’ will to succeed for their Director of Rugby as well as for each other. His ability to motivate them, his clear vision of the game and detailed knowledge of the club and the journey that they’re on is inspiring in itself and a further example of that came when we discussed European rugby. 

The Champions Cup wasn’t the happiest of hunting grounds for the Chiefs last season. While they were flying high in the Premiership they finished third in Pool 5 with two wins and four losses. CEO Tony Rowe highlighted Europe as the next stop on the road on the turf at Twickenham about 30 seconds after winning the Premiership title and it's a natural progression for an ambitious club. For Rob Baxter the road to becoming a threatening team in Europe is about showing ‘maturity’ and handling the expectation that the top club competition in the Northern Hemisphere puts on you. He wants to see the same Exeter side that fly in the Premiership to arrive at Sandy Park during a European week and here he's talking about getting the emotional levels right. What he doesn't want to see is one that treats things differently because ‘it’s Europe’ and is the ‘closest thing to international rugby’. Listen to his full thoughts on the Champions Cup below because if you've watched his side in Europe closely you'll nod your head in agreement to it all. 

So this season Exeter start at Kingsholm and the expectation is that you’ll see 23 Chiefs players putting it all out there and showing us through their personal performances what it means to be an Aviva Premiership title holder. Rob made it clear that season will not be defined by that game and that Round 1 outcome and that's not shirking responsibly instead it’s re-emphasing their focus on performance and paying respect to their opponents. Gloucester have their own motivations and Kingsholm on a Friday night isn’t an easy hunting ground, just ask Leicester Tigers after their Round 1 trip last season. However I personally expect to see them make a statement and mark their return as the holders in style. 

Ahead of the 2017-18 season the focus for the Chiefs is clear, their victory at Twickenham Stadium must be built on and must not be a ‘full stop’ in their development. There’s a large emphasis on emotionally managing the expectations that they’re placing on themselves and that are being placed on them from outside. It’s about a capable and stable squad developing as a whole in the Premiership, and in Europe, and doing so under the watchful eye of one of the most astute rugby brains out there. Exeter Chiefs are in good hands and we’ll all be intrigued to see their journey over the next nine months and beyond.