Baxter praises Maunder's work ethic
By Mark Stevens
3/4/20
Rob Baxter has praised Jack Maunder’s work ethic after the young scrum-half this week put pen to paper on a new deal with Gallagher Premiership leaders Exeter Chiefs.
The 22-year-old became the latest Chief to confirm he will be part of the club’s plans moving forward, following fellow England internationals Ben Moon and Harry Williams in committing themselves to the Sandy Park club.
Maunder - the son of legendary Exeter Rugby Club scrum-half, Andy Maunder - is a product of the Devon club’s highly-successful Academy set-up and has already amassed 67 first-team appearances since debuting against Clermont-Auvergne in the European Champions Cup back in 2016.
Despite his tender years, however, the Chiefs’ Director of Rugby believes there is still more development in Maunder’s game and he’s excited at what can be unearthed in the future.
“Jack has played a big part for us, not just this season, but in recent seasons,” said Baxter. “He’s played in some very big games and featured in some hugely important wins. That said, I look at him in both training and in games and I still feel he is developing in so many different areas.
“For me, that’s the key. This season - and I think even Jack would admit this - his box-kicking, which is one example of his play, has just accelerated massively. That’s a huge part of our game and it’s a huge part for any nine playing the game now. At the same time, he’s still very fit, which means we can really play with tempo, he reads the game incredibly well and, defensively, we’ve really seen him step up in that area too.
“I think what we are seeing and enjoying as coaches are those elements of his game that we are asking him to work on improving noticeably and that in turn makes him very selectable. As I said, he’s an important part of our squad week by week and we see him being a very important part of the picture again next season.
“People will be aware that Nic White is moving on, so Jack’s competition will come from Sam Hidalgo-Clyne and Stu Townsend in that senior group, but then he also has to fight off the challenge of those youngsters coming through, including his brother Sam.”
Baxter continued: “If you look at that whole group, it’s an exciting group of players we have to work with. One of our strengths as a club is the talent and the depth we have in our scrum-half department. That comes from the hard work that all of the nines are willing to put in, but it also comes from the work that the coaches are doing, in particular Ali [Hepher] and Ricky [Pellow], on a daily basis.
“Ricky literally doesn’t let them go. They get as much coaching from him as they can live with. Jack, over the years, had really bought into that with a great attitude and a professionalism that has put him in the position he is now.”
In the space of four years, Maunder has demonstrated he has the pedigree to play at the highest level, a point illustrated when he was capped by Eddie Jones on England’s summer tour of Argentina in 2017 - and again this season when the Aussie coach drafted him into his training squad for the Six Nations Championship.
Maunder admitted himself the latest call-up had given him a real fillip - and now Baxter says it’s up to the Exeter-born back to continue producing the goods.
“The reality is England aren’t all that blessed with young nines,” said Baxter. “Jack has played more rugby this season than a lot of people think. He’s quietly been ticking along, playing in some big games in both the Premiership and Europe, and I don’t think people appreciate just how much he brings to a side.
“Getting his call-up into the Six Nations was hugely deserved, but it was based on some pretty notable displays for us. Moving forward, I’d like to see both him and Stu [Townsend] really work hard and show what they can offer. For all of our nines, it’s onwards and upwards. When you speak to all of them, they know the important roles they have to play in the team and it’s down to them to help drive the team to where we want to go.
“Having someone like Jack on board is hugely exciting and, as I said, I still believe the best is still to come from him!”