Baxter talks some sense

[Egret]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/66727653

Rob Baxter: Premiership Rugby must move on and be positive, says Exeter boss
By Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport
Last updated on6 September 2023, 6 September 2023.

Rob Baxter has led Exeter to two Premiership titles and one European Champions Cup since taking charge in March 2009
Exeter boss Rob Baxter says Premiership Rugby and those around it must "move on" from the issues that have affected it over the past year.

Wasps, Worcester and London Irish have all been forced out of the league after going into administration.

Meanwhile there has been controversy over the laws on tackle heights that has seen high-profile suspensions to players such as Owen Farrell.

"We very rarely talk about any good stuff in rugby any more," Baxter said.

"We seem to be infatuated with tackle height at the moment, it seems we just cannot get away from it.

"Regardless of whether we make law changes or not it seems to infatuate people whether someone gets a yellow card or a red card or what the repercussions of it are, that's all that gets talked about in commentary, especially in particular in this country.

"When was the last time we talked about the Premiership being the most competitive league in the world?" Baxter told BBC Sport.

"For games that finish within seven points of each other and tries, the Premiership far outstrips any other competition.

"Yet we talk about it non-stop that this league 'oh teams are going bankrupt and no-one wants to come and watch it'.

"We're actually creating this for ourselves - the whole picture around English rugby we can move on from it, but we all have to decide to move on from it."

Cuts to the salary cap have seen some players leave England to play overseas, with Exeter seeing a host of star names head elsewhere such as Jack Nowell, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Sam and Joe Simmonds.

It means a young squad for Baxter that will have their first competitive test when they host Bristol in the revamped Premiership Rugby Cup on Saturday.

"I think we'll see some really vibrant rugby this season, both in the Premiership Cup and the Premiership," Baxter said.

"I think it'll be a really great league because there's no reason to say it won't be as competitive as last year, and last year the competition had so much jeopardy and so many tries and so many tight games that we should have been talking really good things about it."

But the long-serving Exeter boss added: "Has anybody seen a news article in the last week that's not been either an ex-coach or ex-player or someone making a comment on the England team or what's happening?

"There's so few people trying to look for a future and find a way forward and 'lets get ready for the start of a new season and find some excitement around things', it's almost like no-one can ever try and write something that might end up being positive."

[andermt]

Not sure I agree he is talking sense, he's just having another whine about the latest topics.

A lot of the narrative he is currently complaining about was started by him with his 'we need a 10 team league to survive' .

Plus I don't get the Premiership is the most competitive, there were a number of results last year where the winning margins were huge, as teams put out weaker squads if they thought it was a match they wouldn't win etc.

I always liked Baxter but in the last 2 years he has gone so far down in my estimation I tend to ignore him now.
Premiership Rugby, in my opinion, can fall apart and the quicker the better, they allowed 3 of their teams to disappear without doing anything. And basically prevented them from having any opportunity to regroup.

[Neils]

Agree about the last two years. He seems to be the perpetual whinger.

[Vespula Vulgaris]

Sounds to me mainly like he's complaining that we're focussing on all the bad things that have happened and still are and not talking about how amazing his club is.

[jamestaylor002]

I'm always interested in the points of reference used by people when they talk about the Premiership being competitive because, other than the one-off competitive game or shock, there doesn't seem to be much else that would convince me otherwise that the Premiership is competitive.

[westwaleswasp]

I don't think it is sense, in fact for me at least it is utter bullshit.
The reason we don't talk about it being competitive is because it isn't. One team is reaping the benefits of systematic fiscal doping, but he doesn't seem to want to talk about that. Fair enough, don't talk about it, but don't pretend all is well.
The Premiership has been won byblarge chunks of kick chase by the two cheats, horrible to watch unless the games involve teams who want to play- Quins, Bris and Saints being the only ones left.  Two of the few teams that wanted to play have gone, leaving soggy wet fart rugby espoused by, err, Baxter.