by Exeter Chiefs have issued a strange 640-word statement “condemning the doubters” and chief executive Tony Rowe has corrected critics who claimed the club was a “fading dynasty”.
Released on Friday evening, with the title ‘Club statement: Tony Rowe issues warning to doubters’, the document outlines Exeter’s improved performances so far this season. Despite the title, there are no actual quotes from Rowe in the release.
Exeter are currently fifth in the Gallagher Premiership table, two points behind second-placed Harlequins after finishing seventh last year. They recently lost the Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final against Gloucester and will face Bath in the last 16 of the Champions Cup next month.
The statement begins by recalling how just 12 months ago Exeter were being “written off as a fading dynasty”, when there was “intense speculation as to how Chiefs could recover from the perceived blow of losing a number of key players to includes Sam Simmonds, Luke Cowan-Dickie. , Joe Simmonds, Harry Williams and Dave Ewers. Despite some of that group being in their late 20s and early 30s, those players are also described as either “nearing the end of their careers or choosing to retire”, ahead of “the prospect bringing in new recruits and homegrown talent”. .
The following is a list of players currently involved in the Six Nations – England’s Henry Slade, Ethan Roots and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins, Scotland’s Alec Hepburn and Italy’s Ross Vintcent – ahead of the game exciting for all players. adjective: “Barn roots”, “Feyi-Waboso hot-footed”.
He continues: “Warren Gatland gave Jenkins, who emerged as a quiet, commanding captain in Chiefs colours, the honor of becoming the second youngest Welsh captain in history. Hepburn’s Scottish eligibility inspired Gregor Townsend who asked the Aussie-born prop to bolster his thistle ranks.”
Vintcent has been one of the big stories of the season, telling Telegraph Sport in an exclusive interview before starting for Italy in the draw against France about his time spent delivering Domino’s pizzas in recent months alongside his studies at the University of Exeter to play for the club.
The praise continues as Exeter discuss the next round of talented young players, referring to those recently involved in England ‘A”s rather nondescript 91-5 thrashing of a weak Portuguese side – “courses inspiring Josh Hodge; hard-nosed fullback Greg Fisilau; Rusi Tuima’s absurd lock and Josh Iosefa-Scott’s hard-hitting stalwart”.
Regarding his participation in that game, the statement continues: “The wealth of knowledge players will accumulate in their country squads will be filtered back into Baxter’s young squad, encouraging their partners to understand with enthusiasm and determination, d ‘it could be a chance available to them because. good.
“The season is not over yet so with winning rugby and a tough Premier League campaign to complete, there are still opportunities for other talented individuals in the squad to shine. This young squad maintained Exeter’s impressive record at the Sandy Park fortress, and with record attendances and season ticket sales for the 2024/25 season already in excess of 3,000, fans are flocking to see them in action.”
‘The world should think twice before writing off Exeter’
The statement concluded: “Tony Rowe, who oversaw the club’s journey from the national leagues to the pinnacle of European Rugby, is reminding the sporting world to think twice before writing off Exeter Chiefs. “
Exeter parted ways with respected media manager Mark Stevens last summer, with communications now being handled by the club’s marketing team and sports content creators.
Rowe has spoken out publicly in the past, most notably when Exeter’s finances were called into question last June.
“Thankfully, the club had assets within its business structure that we were able to use to help bring much needed funds back in to help fight loan repayments and address other related issues with the finances,” he told Telegraph Sport at the time.
“That effectively helped keep us afloat through some tough trading months, but now as we look to the future we are very optimistic that we will be back in full recovery mode next year.”
As for Slade, Sports telegraph revealed last week that the England center is set to sign a new deal with the club, ending speculation over his future in England with so many former team-mates such as Nowell and the Simmonds brothers having moved to France .
The statement is likely to have been issued to fill the gap in Exeter’s schedule, as the club are not in action until March 23 when the Premiership returns after the end of the Six Nations and Exeter face Newcastle Falcons at Sand Park. The club previously faced Scarlets in a friendly at the start of February, in a comfortable victory.
