10 years on from that night in Bristol
By Mark Stevens
26/5/20
The date of May 26, 2010 will forever be etched into the history of Exeter Rugby Club.
For those associated with the Chiefs, it heralded not only a new dawn, but a journey which – a decade on – has already produced plenty of highlights and memories that will last for eternity.
That said, this is a club hell-bent on making more magic moments, not just this year in a season currently curtailed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but in subsequent years where the Devonians can continue to live long and prosper.
At the helm of the journey have been key figureheads, Chief Executive Tony Rowe and Director of Rugby, Rob Baxter. Together they have spearheaded the ‘Rise of the Chiefs’ from inaugural Championship winners to that of Premiership champions.
It’s been a relentless rise, often battling against adversity to fulfil the ambitions and dreams of so many. Driven on a potent mix of hard work, dedication, loyalty, business acumen and a willingness not to stand still, the formula has truly delivered on all fronts.
In some ways it’s all a far cry from all those years previous when, more often than not, the Chiefs were considered the bridesmaids, never the bride, when it came to the big occasion.
Handing control of the Chiefs at the start of the 2009/10 campaign, Baxter knew the foundations were in place for him to build something special, he just needed to find the right blend of personnel and talent to finish the job.
Among his first duties as head coach was to create a coaching team, all of whom shared not only his vision and aspirations, but who could also bring their own unique skill-set and ideas to the table.
Ali Hepher, the former Northampton Saints and Bedford Blues fly-half, was recruited to work alongside the likes of Robin Cowling, Rob Gibson and Ricky Pellow, all of whom were helping to nurture homegrown talent from across Devon and Cornwall.
That group - alongside Head of Strength & Conditioning, Paddy Anson – were at the forefront of the club’s battle plan for a season which, to all extent and purpose, was different to anything laid out before.
Alongside Bristol, who had dropped down from the Premiership the previous season, the Chiefs were expected to be amongst the division’s frontrunners. And so it proved as Baxter’s side powered their way through the opening weeks of the season.
They won 13 games on the bounce and were flying heading into a Christmas period that would see them tackle arch rivals Bristol and Plymouth Albion in successive weeks. Unbeknown to many, the forward-thinking of the Chiefs was already well in place with Baxter and Anson overseeing a second pre-season block.
Taking the opportunity to condition the players for the rigours of the campaign down the line, results at this time slipped away with the Chiefs losing to Albion, Bristol and London Welsh.
The setbacks didn’t sit well with the Chiefs fan-base, all of whom would have expected much better displays against their nearest and dearest. That said, the winning formula was soon rediscovered and heading into the end stages of the regular season, Exeter were well positioned to attack the new play-off system.
However, rival clubs were equally looking forward to the play-off battle and it was Nottingham who stung the Chiefs in their opening fixture, winning 20-9 at Meadow Lane.
Although they had been victorious leading into the play-offs, the Chiefs were not expecting the intensity brought by others, including the East Midlanders. Indeed, Baxter’s side were survive several notable tests during the play-off block, including tough away days with London Welsh and Doncaster Knights, the latter of whom they beat thanks to a late Danny Gray penalty.
On home turf, though, the Devonians were looking mightily impressive, including a powerful 53-10 win against Nottingham, who had irked Baxter himself with a note left in the changing room that said ‘See you next season Exeter’.
That very note is still pinned on the wall beside Baxter’s desk at Sandy Park, a constant reminder of those who didn’t quite believe the Chiefs had the staying power to go all the way.
As predicted, it was the Chiefs and Bristol who qualified for the inaugural play-off final. The first leg was to be staged at Sandy Park, the second at the Memorial Stadium a week later.
Again, Exeter’s pre-planning was well thought out, not just in terms of dissecting the opposition game plan, but also switching their own training sessions to that of the evening to ensure the squad would get used to the different conditions.
Having had to get Sandy Park up to minimum standards for Premiership status, it was a then record crowd of 10,021 that packed in for the first instalment of the final.
Ahead of kick-off, Baxter had called on his side to take the game to their rivals. Keen to ensure there was no repeat of Bristol’s earlier win at the same venue, it was up to the Chiefs pack to dictate proceedings.
Bristol, to their credit, were in equally determined mood and in a game of few scoring chances, it was the home side who edged a slender 9-6 lead, courtesy of three penalites from the boot of fly-half Gareth Steenson.
A week later, the Chiefs took to the road knowing they were now one game away from the promised land of the Premiership. Backed by a hearty Travelling Tribe, they arrived at the Memorial Stadium knowing their destiny was in their own hands.
Conditions overhead weren’t great on arrival – and they would get decidedly worse as the game was played out. The Chiefs, though, were untroubled and with Steenson and fellow half-back Haydn Thomas superbly marshalling the game plan, they not only unpicked Bristol’s best laid plans, but they inched the deficit further and further away from the hosts.
“I don’t think neither Jonny Wilkinson or Dan Carter could have controlled the game better than what Steeno did that night,” said Baxter.
Steenson’s 24-point haul, plus a try from hooker Simon Alcott, ensured the Chiefs of a 29-10 win on the night, sparking scenes of delirium not just in the rain at the Memorial Stadium, but also back in Exeter where the party at Sandy Park continued well into the early hours.
For Baxter, it was mission accomplished in some respects, but it was also the signal to start a new voyage into unchartered waters.
Up until that point it had hardly been plain-sailing for the Chiefs, who as well as getting within touching distance of the top-flight, had also missed out on victory in a number of Cup Finals at Twickenham.
Indeed, Baxter himself explains: “The thing I find the funniest, and at the same time the most frustrating, is when people still talk about us just arriving on the scene. For those of us who were there, we certainly didn’t just arrive, it felt like bloody hard work and we had to go through a lot and be patient.
“I played and captained Exeter when we went from the fourth tier to the second tier two years running in 1996 and 1997 and got to within touching distance of the top-flight, but we spent a lot of time in the old first division and the overriding message you’ll get from people who’ve been involved in this club for a long time is that although ambitions changed, it’s NOT been a meteoric rise.
“We got there or thereabouts in the league many times without succeeding. We got to the final of the tier two cup competition four times but lost the lot. But while other clubs briefly shone before falling away, we never got dented by failure and it’s that resilience that’s shown through.
“As big as beating Bristol was – and it was a very special moment – in reality it was only the next step of a journey that had taken years. It’s the same attitude that underpins us now.”
Since arriving in the Premiership since 2010, the Chiefs have demonstrated that their place amongst English rugby’s elite is more than justified. Not only have they reached the last four Premiership Finals, including winning it in 2017, but they currently sit top of the standings and are well placed in the last eight of the Heineken Champions Cup too.
“The important thing is having confidence in knowing what’s important, and some things have never changed,” added Baxter. “We’ve never been afraid to experiment with how we play and we obviously look at how we improve and add to our squad.
“Nor are we afraid to look at opposition teams and take bits that have allowed them to be dominant in the Premiership or Europe, so we’ve proved we can adapt. But, overall, we stay true to ourselves and the thing that has probably allowed us to keep progressing has been resilience, because other teams maybe haven’t had that in abundance.”