Can Exeter Chiefs reap the rewards of rebuild as Premiership returns
'I’m not going to keep talking about you being a young team for too much longer,' says Rob Baxter
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This weekend, the Premiership finally returns to our stadiums and screens with what could be one of the most unpredictable seasons to date.
Last year's finalists Bath and Northampton Saints kick things off on Friday at The Rec, but to confidently suggest the pair will make the showpiece event again in June might be unwise.
Not since Saracens in 2019 have we seen back-to-back champions while at the wrong end of the table, relegation returns as a live prospect - if the winners of the Championship meet the relevant criteria.
After losing all 18 of their Premiership fixtures last year, Newcastle Falcons will be aiming to avoid any trepidation this term so they will be hoping for a solid start against Bristol Bears on Friday evening.
Another side looking to improve - perhaps not to the same scale - will be Rob Baxter’s Exeter Chiefs.
Despite doing well in Europe last season - reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup - Chiefs finished seventh in the Premiership but Baxter was continually impressed by his young squad.
The club admitted they were at the beginning of a rebuilding phase after the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign was dubbed a mass ‘Exeterdus’ with over 19 players leaving Sandy Park.
Some of the key figures who helped the Chiefs become Premiership and European champions such as Jack Nowell, Sam Simmonds and Luke Cowan-Dickie all exited for pastures new.
Heading into last season, there were low expectations for Baxter’s side however by the end of the term, they were in the mix for the play-offs and new stars had come to light.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Ross Vincent, Tom Cairns, Greg Fisilau and Rus Tuima were just a few to make their mark and Baxter told TRU: “It’s an important season for a lot of our guys. They’re gaining experience all the time and, as I keep saying to them, I’m not going to keep talking about you being a young team for too much longer.
“We’re going to have to start talking about you being a team that’s going to keep improving and looking to win things in the future, but we’ve got to keep taking those forward steps to get there.”
Baxter has always had an eye for spotting young talent, and just like Feyi-Waboso last season, he may have also unearthed a new electric winger; Paul Brown-Bampoe.
The 22-year-old was previously a ginormous success at Durham University in BUCS Super Rugby. After multiple impressive performances over pre-season for the Chiefs, including a hat-trick against Cornish Pirates, Baxter is excited.
“I watch a lot of university games, and we have a lot of coaches involved in the program at Exeter University, and they indicated to me that he stood out in BUCS. He’s quick, big, strong and very diligent. He has all the raw ingredients to be a good player.”
Going into the 2024/25 season, Exeter seem a more settled squad and will have strong ambitions to improve.
Their first game will be on Saturday at Sandy Park, where they have never lost a Round One match. They face a Leicester Tigers side under the new direction of former Australia and Argentina boss Micheal Cheika.
Talking about the challenge that the Chiefs face this weekend, Baxter explained: “They [Leicester] are always big and abrasive. I think Cheika has said that’s very much what he wants to rebuild at Leicester, that tough and gritty forward play that they’ve been known for over the years.
“So we’re assuming there’s going to be a lot of that happening at the weekend. We’ve watched their pre-season games, and they performed very well against the Scarlets. It’s always a challenge around the contact area and the physical department.
“Control of our possession is probably going to be key throughout the game, so that’s something we’ve been talking a lot about how we do things we want to with the ball and that’s key for us.”
Elsewhere in the Premiership…
Around the grounds this weekend, there are great fixtures across the board.
At Kingston Park on Friday night, the Steve Diamond era truly begins at Newcastle Falcons as they take on Pat Lam’s Bristol Bears. After not winning a league game all year in 2023/24, the North-East outfit will be hoping to start with an overdue home victory - their first since March 2023.
On the other hand, Bristol will be aiming to pick up from where they left off at the tail end of last season.
The Bears won six of their last seven games and missed out on the play-offs by a couple of points but with the likes of Kyle Sinckler, Magnus Bradbury and Callum Sheedy leaving the club, can they have another tilt at the top four?
Friday night also sees a repeat of June’s Premiership final as champions Northampton Saints visit The Rec to take on runners-up Bath.
A lot of the narrative around last season’s final for Northampton was the ‘last dance’ as several Saints legends departed the club following their title victory including Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Alex Waller.
Whilst it could be easy to suggest that Saints will struggle to replace them this season, the calibre of their squad remains one of the best in the league.
However, this could cause issues for Phil Dowson in managing the game time of his star names, especially with the introduction of the Professional Player agreement.
As for Bath, the hurt of last year’s final may still be on their minds. Fifteen weeks have passed since they were edged out by Northampton and despite a surprising pre-season loss to a robust Ealing Trailfinders side, their set-up remains strong and they will be looking to go one step further in 2024/25.
By adding last season’s third top tackler in the Premiership - Guy Pepper - to their already star-studded back row, they could be a real threat to challenge for that title once again.
On Saturday, the Premiership also returns to the sanctuary of rugby that is Kingsholm as Gloucester take on Saracens.
The Cherry and Whites had an underwhelming year last season, finishing in ninth. However, they did win their first trophy in nine years - the Premiership Cup - and George Skivington’s men also reached the European Challenge Cup final.
Heading into Round One and beyond, Skivington will hope that cup momentum can flow into the league. The additions of Welsh internationals Gareth Anscombe and Tomos Williams are eye-catching as well the the Premiership’s fifth top try scorer of all time, Christian Wade, who returns to these shores after spells in the NFL and France.
For Saracens, this season will be the first in over 16 years without the immense presence of Owen Farrell.
With him already settling into life with Racing 92, Mark McCall’s side will need to create a new identity as they look to continue driving the standards which Farrell did for so many years.
The former England captain isn’t the only big name to have left, with both Vunipola brothers also departing for France while Sean Maitland has retired.
Saracens will have to figure out a new direction for their club, which will be led by Maro Itoje as well as other remaining senior players such as Jamie George and Ben Earl.
Perhaps the most significant addition to the squad will be fly-half Fergus Burke, who joins from the Crusaders. Taking over the reins from Farrell, it will be interesting if Saracens can remain as dominant as they have been in years past.
The weekend's final game is on Sunday as Harlequins make the journey up north to take on Sale Sharks.
It was only a few years ago that Sale were struggling at the bottom of the table but once again last season, they finished in the top four and made it to the semi-finals.
The Sharks haven’t lost as many big names as other clubs this year but the notable departure of Manu Tuilagi will be felt.
But Sale fans might have found a new hero in Waisea Nayacalevu, the Fiji captain already catching the eye in pre-season.
Continuity will be crucial for Alex Sanderson’s men as they look to become play-off staples and what better way to start than by beating Harlequins, who finished a narrow five points behind them in 2023/24.
Quins, the great entertainers of the Premiership, return this season hoping to break into that top four after a two-year absence.
Like Sale, their departure list isn’t as extensive as some but they have lost a significant presence in the midfield with Andre Esterhuizen moving to South Africa.
In terms of additions to the squad, they have made two big-name signings in Wales and British & Irish Lions pair Leigh Halfpenny and Wyn Jones.
It promises to be an exciting season ahead and with a Lions tour to Australia on the horizon next summer, it will surely add an extra layer of incentive for players to deliver on the domestic stage in what is set to be yet another unpredictable campaign.
