Ronan O'Gara: Are Exeter Chiefs the best team in world rugby right now?

Racing 92 has made serious progress in changing the culture of the team and club but do they have the game detail to match Exeter's?

Exeter Chief's Stuart Hogg dives in to score his sides third try during the Premiership semi-final last weekend. Hogg is perfectly suited to the rover role at full-back, where he has so much potential to express himself, says Ronan O'Gara. Picture: David Davies/PA Wire

Thu, 15 Oct, 2020 - 19:17

Ronan O’Gara

An Irish rugby legend and record‑setting out‑half turned elite coach with La Rochelle. A prominent pundit known for frank, compelling, agenda-setting analysis.

FOR someone who (allegedly) claimed once that English players and clubs were over-hyped, how’s this for a leading question: Are Exeter Chiefs the form team in world rugby right now?

Those words are carefully chosen: best ‘ team’. Rob Baxter has spent over a decade at Sandy Park and seen his players triumph in every tier of English rugby. Alongside the old saying about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts is an Exeter Chiefs crest.