Sport

Exeter Chiefs' head coach Rob Baxter believes Sunday's Aviva Premiership clash at London Wasps will be like a "Cup Final" for his team, as they look to secure a top six placing for a second successive season. Twelve months ago, the Devon outfit ensured Heineken Cup rugby for the first time in the club's history - and hopes are high within the Chiefs' camp that they can once again be rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous of Europe next season. Last Saturday's 27-6 home win over London Irish certainly bolstered their cause as they leapt over both Wasps and Bath into the final qualifying...

Off-field politics were duly put to one side and it was the rugby that was on the lips of everyone as they departed Sandy Park late on Saturday evening. Pre-match there had been plenty of debate as to the rights and wrongs of Exeter Chiefs staging a minute’s silence in memory of the late Baroness Thatcher. As it turned out, the mark of respect went off without a hitch and it was the display of Rob Baxter’s side in sinking visiting London Irish that was making the real headlines. The Chiefs kept alive their hopes of competing in next season’s Heineken Cup by producing a fourth Aviva...

Rob Baxter wants his Exeter Chiefs side to show the same ambition and hunger they demonstrated 12 months ago in securing a Heineken Cup place to be the key driver for them as they head into the final run-in for this season's Aviva Premiership. With just three top flight fixtures remaining for the Devon club, the battle to get into the top six is set to go right to the wire as the eighth-placed Chiefs look to close in on the likes of Gloucester, Bath and London Wasps, who lie just ahead of them in the all-important, remaining places. The Chiefs - who have won three of their last four...

Exeter Chiefs hooker Simon Alcott has today spoken of his disappointment after it was confirmed he will have to retire from the game with immediate effect due to a neck injury. The 29-year-old forward, who joined the Chiefs in 2008 from Worthing, has made the decision following extensive consultations with a number of leading surgeons and specialists around the country. Alcott’s decision to call time on his playing career – which has seen him feature 71 times for the Devon club, scoring ten tries in the process – has been “tough”, but it’s one he knows he has to make with regards to his...