Exeter Chiefs duo Jack Maunder and Stuart Townsend have both agreed new deals with the Gallagher Premiership club this week.
The decision by the duo is yet more welcome news for Rob Baxter, who believes the two youngsters will continue to have important roles to play for the Devonians moving forward.
“Stu has started a Premiership-winning final and Jack has played a lot of first-team rugby and been on an England tour already, and it is incredible what they have already achieved at a young age, but in the right way as well, because they have worked hard, and people are aware that if you work hard and play well, we don’t tend to have a big hang-up about how old you are or how experienced you are,” said Baxter.
“When you think about it, they have pretty much played all of their rugby while Exeter have been a top-four side, which is a great credit to them and probably to how well they have fitted in and how hard they have worked to be good players.”
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Baxter believes there is so much more to come from the two young scrum-halves, too.
“Jack is still at university and he has already played a lot of frontline rugby,” said Baxter. “Stu is a very young man and to have started a winning Premiership final, at the time he did and the way he did it, is incredible. They are key squad men as well. Stu is a big driver in the social committee here, and there is more to it than just playing rugby. They are good at that, but they are also really good characters and good men.
“I look at our squad for next year and I know one of our key strengths will be that most of these guys know each other, and we know them and we like the characters that they are. These two guys could potentially have 10 to 12 years ahead of them of top-flight rugby, and it will be fantastic if they keep getting better for 10 to 12 years, and those years are at Exeter, and that’s how we would like it to be.”