Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter insists there will be no sense of regret when his side travel to Kingston Park on Friday to face Newcastle Red Bulls.
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The trip marks Exeter’s first visit to the North East since Newcastle’s headline-grabbing Red Bull takeover last summer — a move that has turned heads across the Gallagher Premiership.
Newcastle have since been on a mega recruitment drive with 19 new players set to arrive this summer, including multiple internationals.
But it could easily have been a very different story.
Chiefs Were Once in Red Bull Talks
Around five or six years ago, Exeter held discussions with the energy drinks giants during the most successful period in the club’s history.
At the time, the Chiefs were flying high — winning Premiership titles and conquering Europe — while England winger Jack Nowell had links with Red Bull as a brand ambassador.
However, despite initial interest, the talks never developed into anything concrete.
“The Red Bull thing that was here would never have ended just at that conversation,” said Baxter.
“Our conversations with Red Bull were always open-ended.”
Why It Didn’t Happen
Baxter admitted the key difference came down to control and value.
Newcastle, in their position, were able to offer Red Bull a greater level of influence for their investment — something Exeter simply couldn’t match at the time.
“The scenario that’s different is how much control Red Bull could get at Newcastle for the cost.
So it never became much further than that here.”
No Regrets for Baxter
While the scale of Red Bull’s involvement at Newcastle is impossible to ignore, Baxter insists there’s no bitterness from Exeter’s side.
“Do I look at it enviously? Well, in some ways, you’ve got to — it’s huge potential with an absolutely massive company.
But I don’t think it was an opportunity we missed.”
“We pursued the opportunity, and it didn’t come off.”
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