EXETER CHIEFS chairman Tony Rowe has suspended coaches Rob Hunter and Ali Hepher following Sunday’s record defeat to Gloucester.
The Chiefs suffered a humiliating 79-17 loss at Kingsholm Stadium, the worst in their history.
It prompted a furious response from Rowe, who stormed the dressing room to vent his discontent.
Head coach Hunter went on to say: “Tony is entirely entitled to come in there and fire into everybody.
“He puts a lot of time and effort into the club, and his expectations and everyone else’s expectations should be way, way higher than that.”
Hunter also admitted that it was his “worst day” as a coach and said it was “no way acceptable” for Exeter to perform the way they did.
Just hours on from the horror show, he and fellow coach Hepher find themselves out of work.
A statement from Exeter Chiefs on Monday read: “Exeter Rugby Club can confirm that following Sunday’s disappointing result against Gloucester Rugby, club Chairman and CEO Tony Rowe CBE, has made the decision to suspend coaches Rob Hunter and Ali Hepher pending a full review of the match and the 2024/25 season to date.”
Chief executive Rowe said: “No final decision regarding the club’s coaching structure going forward has been made, and it would be improper to make any further comment until all internal procedures have been completed.”
Rob Baxter, the club’s director of rugby and an Exeter board member, will step into a front-line coaching role to oversee the remainder of the season.
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On Sunday’s huge loss, Hunter also said: “Gloucester played really well, but I think we gifted them momentum in almost every facet of the game.
“They are capable of scoring a lot of points, and if the game slips away from you in this league at the moment you can concede a lot very quickly.
“Quite clearly, we have gone underneath an avalanche of pressure and intensity from Gloucester and wilted underneath it.
“It is not a case of back to the drawing board, it is more a case of lessons you feel you are learning, you are not learning.
“We are not going to run away from this, we are going to sit on it all week and we are going to simmer on it it until we play our next game. Nobody is looking for an arm around them.”
