Exeter Suspend Coaches Hunter And Hepher After Record Loss

Exeter person suspended caput coach Rob Hunter and onslaught coach Ali Hepher pursuing their grounds Premiership nonaccomplishment astatine Gloucester.

The brace person been stood down pending what nan nine picture arsenic a "full reappraisal of nan lucifer and nan 2024-25 play to date" aft Chiefs' 79-17 nonaccomplishment astatine Kingsholm.

Hunter had only been promoted to nan domiciled past period aft Hepher's demotion arsenic nan struggling broadside tried to move results around.

Director of rugby Rob Baxter will oversee nan club's coaching for nan remainder of nan season.

"No last determination regarding nan club's coaching building going guardant has been made, and it would beryllium improper to make immoderate further remark until each soul procedures person been completed," said Exeter president and main executive Tony Rowe successful a statement.

After succeeding Hepher arsenic caput coach, Hunter vowed to "rip up" each areas of Exeter's crippled successful a bid to amended their results.

There had seemed to beryllium immoderate signs of betterment during Hunter's little tenure aft a 52-38 loss astatine Bristol successful nan first crippled nether nan caller set-up.

Chiefs overcame chap strugglers Newcastle 17-15 and impressed arsenic they ran leaders Bath adjacent a mates of weeks agone - losing 24-26 - earlier Sunday's 62-point defeat.

Exeter person won conscionable 2 Premiership matches this play and mislaid each their Champions Cup games, including a caller club-record European conclusion erstwhile they mislaid 69-17 to Bordeaux.

The run has been Exeter's worst since promotion to nan English apical formation successful 2010, and they are second-from-bottom of nan Premiership.

Former Northampton fly-half Hepher has been portion of Exeter's coaching squad since Baxter took complete arsenic head of rugby successful 2009, while Hunter moved to Sandy Park successful 2013 aft a successful spell arsenic England Under-20s caput coach.

The brace person been portion of nan backroom squad that helped nan Chiefs triumph 2 Premiership titles and nan 2020 European Champions Cup arsenic they reached six consecutive Premiership finals betwixt 2016 and 2021.

But shape has dipped successful caller seasons and Hepher was removed arsenic caput coach connected 20 March and tasked pinch overseeing nan backs and onslaught strategy until nan extremity of nan play earlier switching to an academy domiciled adjacent term, pinch Hunter taking complete arsenic caput coach.

The existent run reached a nadir astatine Kingsholm pinch Exeter conceding 13 tries successful a shambolic display.

Hunter, alternatively than head of rugby Rob Baxter, faced nan media afterwards, describing nan crippled arsenic his "lowest point" arsenic a coach.

"In nary measurement astatine each did we person immoderate foothold successful that crippled - thing really held up and we gave up momentum truthful easily," he told BBC Radio Devon.

"Right now it's important that we deterioration it and recognise that that is not an acceptable level of capacity from anybody involved."

Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport, Exeter

Just erstwhile you deliberation this play could not get immoderate worse for Exeter, nan powers that beryllium astatine Sandy Park opt for a 2nd coaching alteration successful arsenic galore months.

But Sunday's nonaccomplishment astatine Kingsholm was a shambles, pinch protect disorder evident from nan first fewer minutes arsenic Chiefs were trim unfastened by Gloucester clip and again.

Having conceded 7 first-half tries, immoderate was said astatine nan interval had small effect arsenic they fto successful six much aft nan break.

Post-match tv footage of Tony Rowe angrily addressing nan players successful nan changing room only added to nan consciousness of worry surrounding nan club's fortunes.

Where Exeter spell now only clip will show - they person immoderate knowledgeable players coming successful complete nan summer, led by marquee Australian signing Len Ikitau.

It seems doubtful they tin move astir this malaise successful clip for nan sojourn of champions Northampton connected 11 May, pinch 2 much games - distant astatine Harlequins, location to Sale - to complete a torrid campaign.

Maybe turning it astir for adjacent play is simply a gangly bid arsenic well.