An ode to the Exeter Chiefs
Strong Champions Cup results may lead to the resurgence of my boys from Devon
The genesis of my love for the Club
I first watched Exeter during my gap year in the UK in 2003. They played at a smaller ground than their current abode and weren’t even in the Premiership then, playing a division below in the Championship. We received tickets from Ed Lewsey, (2003 RWC winner Josh Lewsey’s brother) who was playing for Exeter at the time, after we met at a post match rugby function at the school I was stooging at.
Being one of the foremost advocates of Devon life, from then on I was hooked. I don’t even bother to watch an episode of Escape to the Country if it is filmed in any other county!
I have followed Exeter’s fortunes closely since then, although it has been easier in the past decade, since they gained promotion to the Premiership. Their success in such a short time in the top flight has been incredible, made the more satisfying by the fact that a few southern Africans have been involved in recent times. The most successful Saffa (turned England international) is Don Armand who played with a few of my mates at UCT and went on to represent the Chiefs 193 times, including a MOTM display in the Premiership Final v Wasps in 2017 when the club lifted their first league title. Having played for WP/Stormers and Exeter, Armand will go down as one of my favourite players of the modern era, a thoroughly underrated loose forward.
I have developed an almost unjustifiable passion for the side, eclipsed only by my love for WP and the Stormers. Any Exeter defeat leaves me in a deep funk, especially against Saracens!
Don Armand with his Man of the Match award in the 2017 Premiership Final
Photo credit: Exeter Chiefs website
“It’s the vibe of the thing”
I love the down-to-earth nature of the Club, from the staff to the players and how they actively promote the ‘work hard, play hard’ culture as can be seen when Jack Yeandle leads the team in song post-match in the changerooms, and when they train with the Royal Marines on the Devon beaches in pre-season.
Rob Baxter, the Director of Rugby and Ali Hepher, the new head coach, speak so eloquently during the BT Sport televised games and in pre-match content on the Chiefs social channels. They always remain calm and composed, even during heightened tension in games and give off such a positive and relaxed aura which must transmit positively to the players. I would certainly run through a brick wall for both of them!
New Minister of Defence, Omar Mouneimne, continues the South African links with the club and his influence has been noticeable this season, especially against the flamboyant Quins side who were bullied in the collisions early in the season and the two recent Champions Cup victories against Castres and the Bulls.
I love how open the Exeter players are around the off the field stuff and they clearly know how to throw a good team social. On a recent episode of The Rugby Pod, Olly Woodburn said the boys loved France away trips ‘cos the clubs stay open until 6am! He said after the Castres win the boys lost some clothes and dignity. Honesty is the best policy! This must be the best club to play for in England, when one takes into account the picturesque surroundings and ‘the whole vibe of the thing’, to paraphrase The Castle.
Big Boss - Rob Baxter, Exeter’s Director of Rugby, an unflappable character
Photo credit: Rugby Pass
COVID Blues be gone - The Double of 2019/2020
Exeter won their maiden European trophy when I was stranded in SA during the dark days of COVID lockdowns. It was the first leg of what would prove to be a remarkable double triumph when they won the Premiership the following weekend.
Their victory in the Champions Cup was incredible when one considers where the club was just a decade ago, still battling away in the Championship in England. They didn’t have it easy on their route to the final, having to beat La Rochelle (2022 winners), Sale and Glasgow in their pool and then star-studded Toulouse in the semi-final. They also saw off Northampton in the quarter final. They met the great entertainers of French rugby, Racing 92 in the final. The Exe won a dramatic match 31 - 27 to end their campaign unbeaten and become deserved winners!
What made the win that much more special was that the game was played at local rivals Bristol’s home ground of Ashton Gate. Surely the closest the Bears will ever get to the Heineken Cup, especially with Genge and Sinckler in their front row!
They followed up this groundbreaking win with their second Premiership trophy a week later at Twickenham against Wasps #RIP. It was a tense affair and the good guys edged it 19 - 13, to exorcise consecutive final defeat demons to salary-cap breaching Saracens.
Exeter’s consistency in the Premiership has been amazing since their promotion. They made the playoffs for six consecutive seasons from 2016 - 2021, finishing either 1st or 2nd on the log in each of those campaigns. But for some egregious financial doping, the trophy cabinet at Sandy Park would be even more full!
Exeter celebrating their maiden European trophy vs Racing 92 at Ashton Gate
Photo credit: Planet Rugby
Local lads
At any one time, half the starting XV originate from the South-West counties of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. This is another one of the reasons that this side gets my wholehearted support, given my yearning to return to the region to sample country life via the village pub scene, with picture postcard backdrops.
There is a quirk in the scrumhalf department where two brothers, Jack and Sam Maunder, compete for the starting 9 jersey. I love their competitiveness and passion for the club, where their father also played 149 times. I may be a bit biased as they were in the same house as me at Blundell’s in Tiverton where I spent 2003, probably the best year of my life.
Jack Maunder, one half of the scrumhalf brother combo - both were in same house as me at Blundell’s
Photo credit: Rugby Pass
Saffas
Along with Don Armand, Exeter have welcomed a few South Africans in recent years to bring some added physicality to the side. Jacques Vermeulen and Jannes Kirsten were the original stars and they have been supplemented by Ruben van Heerden this season, one of the best signings in the Premiership.
Vermeulen has grown into an excellent ball carrier and is far more influential on a game of rugby than he was at the Sharks. I sure do love the fact that he chose the Chiefs over the men from Durban and try to block that part of his career out of my mind. He is brutal whilst carrying close to the line and on defence. A fearsome player!
Kirsten came to Devon from the Bulls and brings an unbelievable workrate to the engine room, whether at lock or loose forward. His defence is what gets my attention, consistently knocking opposition players backwards in collisions, whether through a massive tackle or a dominant clean at the breakdown. He is a fellow ginger and we need to stick together.
Van Heerden has been superb this season, and has scored five times for the Exe. He has made a seamless transition to life in the West Country and looks invigorated, having followed the same path as Vermeulen from Durban. Like his two compatriots, his workrate is never in doubt and is heavily involved both at the lineout, and when Exeter smell blood in the opposition 22m.
All three of these guys would be an asset to the Springbok set up.
Jannes Kirsten - The workhorse of the Exeter pack - devastating in the carry and clean
Photo credit: Exeter Chiefs website
Let’s f#$% them up physically!
This phrase was immortalised by Rassie Erasmus in the Chasing the Sun documentary which charted the Bok victory at the 2019 RWC in Japan, surely the best Rugby documentary since Living with the Lions in 1997! A key (and consistent) theme was Rassie’s absolute determination that the brutality, physicality and power of the Bok pack (and that of the Bomb Squad) be harnessed in every game to obliterate the opposition. The players were on the same page and delivered consistently.
One could be forgiven for thinking that the Chiefs devised this mantra, such is the quality of the power game around the carries and defence. At their best, the Chiefs will keep the ball through multi-phase in the opposition 22m, bludgeoning their way to the tryline. The embodiment of this approach is the Human Train, Dave Ewers. His tries against Castres and the Bulls in the Champions Cup over the past two weeks are classic examples of his unmatchable power, which is unstoppable from 5m out.
I loved their maul success against the Bulls with Luke Cowan-Dickie having an easy ride to the tryline. When this side start with their pick and go game, I sit on the edge of my seat, relishing their brutality at the gainline.
Dave Ewers in full flight - a terrifying prospect for the opposition
Photo credit: Exeter Chiefs website
2022/2023 Season - Inconsistent but hope springs eternal!
Exeter lost lock Jonny Hill and wing Tom O’Flaherty to Sale in the off season, two key men of recent campaigns. The blow of losing Hill has been softened by the incredible impact Ruben van Heerden has made since his move from the Sharks. He is the joint top try scorer this season and his work rate is mesmerising. With the Stormers lock stocks being depleted I would donate a major organ to get him to Cape Town!
The league season started so well with an opening day victory against defending champions Leicester and surely the game of the season in an injury time win over Quins. All praise be to Referee God Tom Foley for his intervention in the build up to Christ Tshiunza’s epic finish to a length of the field try in the last movement.
The Exe were brought back down to earth by a 20 - 28 defeat to Sale before delivering their performance of the domestic season thus far in demolishing local rivals Bristol at Ashton Gate by 50 points to 14, condemning the Bears to their heaviest ever home defeat. Coming on a Friday night, this set up a perfect weekend! Seeing Genge implode (and concede 14 points while he was off the field for a yellow card) was one of my highlights of the 2022 sporting year. The boys played champagne rugby in the second period, smashing Bristol up front and then dazzling them with brilliant touches by the backs!
This result was followed up by a classic Heartbreak Hotel defeat to the objectionable Saracens. A controversial last minute penalty at the scrum putting paid to a good comeback by the Chiefs in front of a raucous Sandy Park. I was heartened by van Heerden’s display against Itoje, at least matching if not bettering him all around the field.
From here, the boys put in two disappointing performances to lose to Gloucester and Northampton and halt their progress up the league table. The anomalies in the fixture list due to the demise of Wasps and Worcester have made it a somewhat stop-start league season.
Exeter beat London Irish at home and then inexplicably lost to Newcastle as if to sum up their inconsistent start to the league season. They then had a week off before they began their Champions Cup campaign and this was obviously put to good use.
Castres away is never an easy assignment but after an iffy first half performance, where the Chiefs were hammered at the breakdown, they came out in the second half and put things right. They turned at 12 - 12 and went on to score fifteen unanswered points in the second half to record an impressive 27 - 12 win in the heartland of French rugby. Ewers and Sam Simmonds were immense with ball in hand, and were the two try scorers in the first half. Exeter scored early in the second period from a snipe by Sam Maunder close to the line. Castres threatened the Chiefs line for a sustained period of about seven minutes after this but then Ewers got a jackal penalty from a Castres scrum and that proved to be the turning point. Imagine having to try and clean Big Dave! With twenty minutes to go, Exeter’s backs showcased some silky handling before Stuart Hogg put Woodburn away for a fine first phase try to make the score 24 - 12 and by now the Castres players were walking and demoralised. The rest of the match was a pretty stop-start affair but this was a statement win to get the campaign off to a bonus point winning start.
Last weekend the Chiefs welcomed an under-strength Bulls side to a freezing Sandy Park and were ruthless in dispatching the side from Pretoria to the tune of 44 - 14, wrapping up the bonus point before half-time! The pack was particularly dominant, winning countless penalties at scrum time and being equally efficient from the lineout maul, leading to two of Cowan-Dickie’s hattrick. Exeter were helped by the ill-discipline of the Bulls and took full advantage. Henry Slade was outstanding from outside centre, benefitting from the forwards winning the collisions all afternoon.
It has been the perfect start to the Champions Cup campaign and with big players like Sam Simmonds and Cowan-Dickie leaving for France next season, there could still be a second triumph on the horizon if they keep this form up.
Exeter return to domestic action on Christmas Eve, with a blockbuster West Country clash against Bath. It should be a sell out at Sandy Park as the Chiefs look to translate their form in the Champions Cup to league matters, and work their up into the playoff positions from their current state of seventh on the log.
The New Year brings with it a trip to Pretoria in mid January for the return clash with what should be a significantly stronger Bulls side. I cannot wait for this game and will be making the trip to Loftus, proudly wearing my Chiefs shirt to cheer on the boys!
Hopefully one day in the future I will be able to return to Devon in a professional rugby capacity to help the Chiefs but until then I will be supporting them all the way!
#COYC
Ruben van Heerden on the attack in the demolition of Bristol, a star signing.
Photo credit: Rugby Pass