Baxter's joy as Yeandle signs on

Jack Yeandle has spoken of his delight as he today agreed a new two-year contract with hometown club Exeter Chiefs.

Signed during the summer of 2012 from Championship side Doncaster Knights, the hooker has adapted well to life another rung up the league ladder in English rugby - establishing himself as a first-team regular in Rob Baxter's Chiefs squad.

However, Yeandle remains hugely ambitious and with his future in Devon secured until 2015 at the very least, the talented forward is keen to push his game to new levels.

"Obviously I'm delighted to have signed for another two years," said Yeandle. "I'm really happy here and it was all very easy in the end. I'm one of the lucky people who gets to play for their hometown club, both in the Premiership and in Europe, so it's perfect really.

"As everyone knows, I'm a local lad, so playing for the Chiefs is massive and something I am very proud of."

"I came here to work hard, get my head down and prove myself," explained Yeandle. "Last season I got given an opportunity and like the old cliche, I've just got my head down and kept working hard and now it's a great position to be in. Playing in the Premiership and in the Heineken Cup, it's a step up and why you want to play the game. I'm just enjoying every minute of it."

Yeandle, though, remains level-headed about his achievements and knows that although he has secured a new deal with the Chiefs, the hard work he has shown during his first two years at the club must be replicated moving forward.

He added: "You can't take your foot off the gas at all. You have to burrow down and try and keep hold of that shirt, simply because Chris [Whitehead] is chomping at the bit, as is Greg [Bateman] who had two good games in the LV= Cup recently. You've also got the two Dickies [Luke and Tom] jumping at my heels, so it's very much about going forward, working hard and keep progressing.

"Here at the club there is no nailed down fact that you'll be playing each week, you have to work hard to get the shirt. As a club, we just want to keep moving forward - we've done that over the last few years - and obviously the aim is to continue that.

"The club are ambitious, not just in terms of what we do on the field, but off it as well there are big things in the pipeline. We want to be mixing it with the big boys. This place is going places, we've just won the Rugby Venue of the Year award and it's a great experience here on match-days, so why wouldn't you want to be part of it all."
BAXTER'S JOY AS YEANDLE SIGNS ON

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter believes there is still more to come from Jack Yeandle after the hooker today agreed a new two-year contract with the Aviva Premiership club.

Initially Yeandle had to bide his time for his chance with the Chiefs - including spending a short spell on loan with the Cornish Pirates - but since brought into the first team picture by Baxter, the 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength.

Baxter says Yeandle’s new contract is just reward for not only the player’s attitude and work-rate, but also his on-field performances.

“Jack is a guy who is continually improving for us, has shown some really good form and some really good development since he signed for us from Doncaster,” said Baxter. “He is a good guy too which is very important and Exeter is very much his local club, and those things are important.

“We also realise the hard work Jack has put in and these contract extensions and first-team starts come down to the hard work the players are prepared to put in.

“Since Jack came to the club he has worked extremely hard and made sure he has kept improving as a player. He is a very regular and reliable trainer and there is not much more we can ask of him really. We see he can improve as time goes by and he is very much still at the start of his Premiership career.”

“We are hoping for him to carry on improving during his career for the next few years yet.”

Exeter-born Yeandle was one of a number of current Chiefs whose contracts are set to expire come the end of the season – and Baxter is hopeful that others within the current first team ranks will follow suit in the not too distant future.

“We have a number of important players out of contract this year, although not quite as many as last year,” said Baxter. “We are getting there with several players, although Jack is the first one to put pen to paper.

“We have a few that we are talking to about contracts but it is still relatively early and I think there will be announcements relatively soon.”

Pictures: Exeter Rugby Club/Pinnacle Photo Agency