Exeter Chiefs confirm Rob Baxter contract extension

Exeter Rugby Club CEO and chairman Tony Rowe CBE said: “Rob has been front and centre of the growth of this club having helped build its foundations as a player. He is an Exeter Chiefs man through and through and has led us through some of our most memorable moments.

“He has also built a new coaching team and a young squad that are already keen and able to compete at the top level. It will be exciting to see where he can take them in the next few years.”

Baxter, who has been in charge since 2009, has overseen the most successful period in the club’s history. A former player who made over 300 appearances, he has guided Chiefs to more than 10 major honours, including two Premiership titles and the Champions Cup.

Baxter said: “I’m delighted to have signed a contract extension. I’ve been involved here a long time, had some fantastic experiences and some tough ones along the way too, though thankfully those have been few and far between.

“To have the club be happy to extend my time here makes me proud. The key thing for me is how excited I am and how enthused I am to work with the current crop of players we have here at Chiefs as well as the players we’ve already signed for next season, the young academy players coming through our pathway, and the group of coaches.

“I can really see a bright future for the club. I genuinely feel we’re going to be a club challenging others at the right end of the PREM and hopefully we’ll grow into a team who battles it out in the latter stages of European competition in the future too.

“That is certainly my aim, and I know the club are very ambitious in what they still want to achieve. Hopefully things align and we go on to achieve great things.”

The 53-year-old has deep roots at the club, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle, while his brother Richie holds the record for the most appearances in Exeter’s modern era.

After captaining the side for 10 years and making 312 appearances, Baxter retired from playing in 2005 before moving into coaching. He initially took charge on an interim basis before becoming head coach ahead of the 2009/10 season, when Exeter secured promotion to the Premiership.

Since then, he has led the club to six Premiership finals, winning the title in 2016/17 and 2019/20. The latter season also saw Chiefs complete a historic double by beating Racing 92 to lift the Champions Cup following a campaign disrupted by COVID-19.

Baxter’s extension brings stability to Exeter’s coaching team, which includes Dave Walder, Haydn Thomas and Ross McMillan, along with assistants James Wilson and Glen Townson.