Exeter chairman Tony Rowe has warned the Rugby Football Union (RFU) they might be wasting their time if they look to appoint Rob Baxter as England coach.
The RFU will be searching for a new man at the helm following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, when current head coach Eddie Jones leaves his role for pastures new.
But the Exeter chairman believes the English game’s governing body would have their work cut out persuading Baxter to take over from the Australian next year.
Committed to the club
“Rob won’t leave. He’s committed to Exeter,” Rowe told Sportsmail, with RFU CEO Bill Sweeney having said in the past they would like an English appointment.
“He may be on somebody’s shortlist at Twickenham but I would hazard a very strong guess that his answer would be he’s happy where he is.”
Baxter has been a mainstay at Exeter since his playing stint there began in 1987 and he has helped take the club to the top of the English and European game.
However, he will take on more of a backseat role this season, with head coach Ali Hepher poised to have a more hands-on position, as Rowe reveals a “rebrand”.
“If you look back over the 12 years we’ve been in the Premiership, we haven’t had a change of coach,” he said ahead of Exeter’s home opener against Leicester.
“We’re very happy with each other. From my point of view, I’m very happy with the coaching set-up. We’ve rebranded and the coaches are rebuilding our team.”
Finished seventh last term
Exeter will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing campaign in 2021/22 when they finished in seventh position, with just 13 wins out of 24 matches.
While they kick off on home soil, tackling the reigning champions will be a tough proposition in what is arguably the match of the opening round this weekend.
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