A bit like a holiday romance, you make friends early on; you promise to meet again in the future; but in reality you end up going your separate ways.
Well, in the case of Exeter Chiefs, they sadly saw their European escapades end on a sad note, but not before giving reigning Heineken Cup champions Leinster another half decent scare.
A New Year begins in earnest for the Exeter Chiefs tomorrow and assistant coach Ali Hepher is hopeful his side will get 2013 off to a bang by seeing off visiting Northampton Saints at Sandy Park (3pm).
After a Christmas period which could - and probably should - have brought a sackful of points from clashes with Gloucester and Bath, the Devon club ended up more with leftovers, rather than the rewards their hard-working efforts merited.
The boot of England international Freddie Burns ultimately denied the Chiefs in a ding-dong battle at Kingsholm, before a late...
Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has spoken of his disappointment after it was confirmed prop Brett Sturgess is set for a spell on the sidelines.
The 31-year-old forward broke his arm during Saturday 12-12 Aviva Premiership draw with Bath at Sandy Park and now faces the prospect of being out for up to 12 weeks.
It's an untimely blow for the Kettering-born player who suffered a similar injury to his other arm last season.
Baxter said: “Sturge has broken his arm and he’ll be having an operation today (Monday).
Christmas may have been earlier in the week, but Bath were gift-wrapped a share of the spoils in their latest Aviva Premiership match-up with the Exeter Chiefs, writes Mark Stevens.
With just four minutes remaining of another keenly-contested derby encounter at a packed Sandy Park, referee David Rose handed the visitors a belated festive present in the shape of a penalty try.
That score, combined with the resultant conversion from replacement Tom Heathcote, ensured Exeter’s search for a first-ever top flight win over Gary Gold’s side will extend into another season at least...
Christmas has certainly come early for supporters of the Exeter Chiefs after it was confirmed two more of their senior stars have agreed new contracts with the Aviva Premiership.
Just days after full-back Luke Arscott committed his immediate future to the Sandy Park outfit, prop Brett Sturgess and fly-half Gareth Steenson have followed suit by agreeing similar two-year deals. The announcement is yet another welcome boost for head coach Rob Baxter, who has made no secret of his desire to tie down the futures of a number of his frontline stars. Speaking after his side's narrow loss...
Having written one new chapter into the history books of Exeter Rugby Club a week ago, the Chiefs penned another equally exciting tale of triumph as they saw off the Scarlets for a second successive game - Chiefs 30 - Scarlets 20.
Rob Baxter’s side followed up their maiden Heineken Cup scalp in West Wales by producing an equally impressive repeat performance in the latest re-run at Sandy Park. Tries from Ian Whitten,
Simon Alcott and skipper James Scaysbrook were the key highlights for the Devonians, whilst on-song marksman Gareth Steenson added to his seasonal tally with...
Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has challenged his side to back-up their first-ever victory in the Heineken Cup by showing the same qualities that brought them European success in Wales a week ago.
Fresh from seeing off the Scarlets 22-16 on their own Parc Y Scarlets turf, Devon’s finest entertain Simon Easterby’s outfit for a second successive week in their latest Pool 5 fixture.
Head coach Rob Baxter has spoken of his delight after another two of his current Exeter Chiefs squad this week committed their futures to the Devon club.
James Hanks and Ben White have followed the earlier lead of club-mates Chris Whitehead, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Will Chudley, Phil Dollman and Carl Rimmer in agreeing new deals that will keep them at Sandy Park for a further two years.
Hanks, who has to date made 176 appearances for the club, is one of the club’s longest-serving players having first made his debut for the Chiefs back in 2005 against the Cornish Pirates....
Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter believes experiencing the full-on demands of the Heineken Cup is helping develop his squad into a much stronger unit.
Although the Chiefs have suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of European heavyweights Leinster and Clermont Auvergne in their opening two Pool 5 fixtures, Baxter insists the Devon club remain upbeat as they prepare to tackle Welsh region Scarlets on successive weekends in Europe's premier cup competition....
Head coach Rob Baxter was happy to salute his side’s latest Aviva Premiership victory over London Wasps, but he still believes his Exeter Chiefs side have yet to hit top form this season, writes Mark Stevens.
The Chiefs maintained their unbeaten home record in the top flight as they overcame Wasps 30-23 at Sandy Park thanks to tries from Chris Whitehead, Haydn Thomas and Phil Dollman, as well as 15 points from the boot of leading points -scorer Gareth Steenson.
Exeter’s win – their sixth in the Premiership this term – not only helped lift the Chiefs back into the division’s...
