[ad_1]
Publication date: October 26, 2020
Exeter Chiefs president Tony Rowe has revealed that his team is aiming for global success, following their recent Champions Cup and Premiership triumphs, and has also attacked “greedy” England.
The Devon-based team joined Leicester, Wasps and Saracens in completing a European and national double that was sealed when Wasps prevailed 19-13 in an excitingly tense Premiership final at Twickenham on Saturday.
Brain
Rowe has planned Exeter’s rise from the second tier to the top of club rugby in the Northern Hemisphere, but his sights are even higher.
Talks about a world club championship resurfaced as recently as June amid hopes that it could be established in 2022 and Rowe supports the competition knowing it would offer Exeter new territory to conquer.
“We need to establish ourselves as the main club. I want it to be the best club in the world, and we can do it. We have ambitious guys there, ”Rowe said.
“We will continue to do what we are doing. We have one of the best coaching groups in the Northern Hemisphere.
“I like to take my time. I said we would make Europe in five years after the first Premiership title. How about we make the world in the next five? It would be nice to have a world club game. “
The global calendar is in a state of flux with a long-term structure yet to be resolved, a situation exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic that has left nations and clubs facing uncertain financial futures.
🗣️ “Now we can celebrate last week and also this week.” #EXEvWAS
🏆 Rob Baxter relieved after completing double. #GallagherPremFinal 👇 https://t.co/F2i8mc6giJ
– Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 25, 2020
Plans to introduce an annual international tournament are on hold and Rowe would strongly oppose any increase in test matches.
“All this that comes from more international games, I am totally against that,” he said.
“We employ the players, they are our players. Being forced to pitch them for so many international games is not good. They don’t compensate us enough.
“The reality is that we breed these guys for ourselves, we don’t breed them for England.
“England can get too greedy. They are very quick to run in the opposite direction when we want money. Right now we are desperate for money in the Premiership to stay alive.
“We are one of the richest clubs and we will make it, but there are some clubs that are really struggling and we should be able to turn to the Rugby Football Union for financial support because they turn to us when they want our players. “
Two difficult positions to fill
Rowe is proud of Exeter’s track record in player development, but admits that two positions have been difficult to fill with locally sourced talent.
“More than half of today’s staff have passed through our academy,” he added. “But they don’t grow much in Cornwall or Devon, I don’t know why. So we had to bring our locks.
“And for some reason we don’t breed good wingers. With the guys that go through the academy, you can only get what you have. Rob Baxter is bringing these guys in because we don’t have anyone of that standard.
“We could probably find some local locks, but none have poked their heads over the parapet. People say ‘why did you get Jonny Gray or Stuart Hogg?’ It’s because we haven’t had one in our academy that is good enough. If you don’t have them on your own production line, you have to go out and bring them. “
[ad_2]
