Exeter coaches Ali Hepher and Rob Hunter suspended after 13-try rout
Tony Rowe's fury over Exeter Chiefs crashing to a record 79-17 defeat at Gloucester on Sunday was not confined to his angry address in the away changing room at Kingsholm. On Monday, the club's chairman and chief executive suspended the senior coaches Rob Hunter and Ali Hepher.
Rob Baxter, the director of rugby and an Exeter board member, will take hands-on charge of the team for the remaining three games of a miserable season in which the former European and English champions have lost 12 of their 15 games in the Gallagher Premiership.
Hepher, who has been Baxter's right-hand man for 16 years, started the campaign as Exeter's head coach, with Hunter in charge of the attack coaching, but they switched roles last month. Baxter said the change was made with next season in mind, with Hepher wanting to transition into a role working with academy players.
It felt at the time like he was shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic. Both Hepher and Hunter, who has been at Exeter since 2013, have now been placed on gardening leave, pending a review into the 13-try demolition by Gloucester and the Chiefs' season as a whole. A route back for them seems unlikely, although the club said no final decision had yet been taken.
Rowe has been the driving force behind Exeter's rise from the Championship to champions of Europe. After the club's darkest day, he entered the Exeter changing room at the Gloucester game and vented his displeasure.
'Quite right, too,' Hunter said. '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 those of everyone else should be way, way higher than that.
'From my own point of view, it was probably one of my worst days as a coach. In fact, there's no probably about it, it was actually my worst day as a coach.
'Aside from how we feel individually, the first thing to recognise is that from a supporters' point of view, it is no way acceptable to perform like that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
12-06-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Retired autoworker (Gentleman) Jim Long loving life on the professional darts tour
(Gentleman) Jim Long has been a man in motion since winning his Professional Darts Corporation tour card in January. The retired autoworker from London, Ont., headed to Europe with wife Rhonda on Feb. 6 to compete. The initial plan was to come home March 3 but he had to delay their return after qualifying for a European tour event scheduled for March 7 in Belgium. They didn't get home until March 28. 'I couldn't tell you how many trains I took,' Long said of the trip that took them to England, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Long, 57, returned to Europe seven days after coming home. This time he went solo since Rhonda, his partner since 1989 and mother of their three kids, couldn't face another transatlantic trip so soon. He spent three weeks on tour by himself. There was one more five-day trip to Europe before Long, Rhonda and son Zach left for Germany on Monday for the 2025 BetVictor World Cup of Darts, which runs through Sunday in Frankfurt. Long and Hamilton's Matt (Ginjaninja) Campbell, who earned his tour card in 2022, lost their opening match 4-1 to Malaysia's Tengku Shah and Tan Jenn Ming on Thursday. Tenth-seeded Canada continues Group F play Friday against Denmark at the Eissporthalle Frankfurt, home of the Löwen Frankfurt hockey team. Forty countries are competing with the top four seeds — defending champion England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — given a bye to the second round where they will be joined by the 12 group winners. The tournament offers 450,000 pounds ($832,900) in prize money, ranging from 4,000 pounds ($7,405) for the team that finishes last in its opening-round group to 80,000 pounds ($148,075) for the winning duo. It's Long's second trip to the World Cup of Darts. He competed with Dawson Murschell in 2019, making the quarterfinals in Hamburg after upsetting fifth-seeded Australia. Long and Campbell are good friends. Before Campbell, a former welder, turned pro, he and Long would meet up twice a month 'to sharpen each other up and play.' Long is loving life on tour, although the travel, jet lag and logistics have proved challenging. 'I'm having the best time. Fun doesn't quite cover it even,' he said in an interview. 'The travel is exhausting … But the excitement of playing and walking into the venue with 127 other professional darts players, the guys that I watched on TV and I continue to watch on TV now, it's still exhilarating for me. 'The guys are friendly. You'd be surprised, the top guys, they're just friendly and they'll talk to you just like you're one of the group.' World No. 14 Peter (Snakebite) Wright, a two-time world champion known for his colourful Mohawk, had him stay over during one of his trips. 'When I get home I'm usually thinking when do I get to go back?' said Long. He calls it the 'perfect retirement plan.' Long's goal is to enjoy the experience — and hopefully break even on his travels. 'I found that so far I'm not playing as good as I'd like but I'm winning matches … I've done OK money-wise,' he said. 'The first trip over I lost money, of course, but the next two I've actually made some money which has been kind of nice.' His best result so far was reaching the final 16 at an event in Germany before losing to No. 34 Brendan (The History-Maker) Dolan. Long, who has won his first-matches about half the time, acknowledges he has been putting pressure on himself to do well. 'I just want to show I belong,' he said. Long demonstrated that at Q-School where more 870 entries competed for 29 tour cards. He became the seventh Canadian to earn one, following Campbell, Murschell, John Part, Jeff Smith, John Norman Jr., and Ken MacNeil. The tour card lasts for two years and earns him admission to 50-plus events in a year. Long said the first thing he did when he got the competition schedule was to take down his fridge calendar to start planning his itinerary. 'It's a little overwhelming to be honest,' said Long, who does his own travel arrangements. Competitors who finish in the top 64 of the PDC Order of Merit get to retain their tour card after the initial two-year period. Long is currently ranked 108th while Campbell is No. 53. Long worked for General Motors from 1990 to 2020, working on the Chevrolet Equinox. He was a team leader on the assembly line for 18 years before finishing his career there in the paint shop. He got into darts after high school. He used to play pool at a local tavern in Wardsville after work and was invited to play darts one day when they were a man short. Long has twice competed at the PDC World Darts Championship. In 2018, he upset Northern Ireland's Mickey (The Clonoe Cyclone) Mansell in the first round before falling to Dutch pro Benito van de Pas, the 30th seed. Long, listed as a 2,500/1 longshot in the 96-player field at London's Alexandra Palace, earned 25,000 pounds ($46,285) as a second-round loser, more than enough to cover his expenses. He lost to England's James (Hillbilly) Hurrell in the first round in December 2024. After he competed at Alexandra Palace the first time, he got a Facebook friend request from a 12-year-old Luke Littler. Now 18, Littler is ranked second on the PFC Order of Merit and won the PDC World Championship in January. Long didn't have to wait long to face Littler, whose nickname is The Nuke. The two were paired up in the first outing of Long's first competition after winning his tour card. Long was up 3-0 and 4-2 but eventually lost 6-4 to the teenage sensation who recorded three straight 100-plus checkouts en route to the win. —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025.
The Herald Scotland
12-06-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Thomas Frank appointed Tottenham boss on three-year deal
Following negotiations with Brentford during the past week over Frank's release clause and backroom staff, the 51-year-old has been announced as Tottenham head coach and will bring with him Justin Cochrane, who will return to the club where he started his coaching journey more than a decade ago. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas Frank as our new Head Coach on a contract that runs until 2028. Welcome, Thomas! 🤍 — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 12, 2025 A club statement read: 'We are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas Frank as our new head coach on a contract that runs until 2028. 'In Thomas we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game. He has a proven track record in player and squad development and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead.' Frank is the 14th permanent head coach of Daniel Levy's 24-year tenure as Spurs chairman and will take over a club which won the Europa League last month but finished 17th in the Premier League. Tottenham's first trophy since 2008 did not prevent Postecoglou losing his job, with a statement last Friday citing it as 'one of the toughest decisions' the board has made. A club record in the Premier League of 22 defeats ultimately cost Postecoglou, even though he faced a winter injury crisis and prioritised Europa League success over league fixtures during the latter months of the season. Ange Postecoglou, left, embraces Thomas Frank before February's Premier League clash between Tottenham and Brentford (John Walton/PA) Postecoglou's dismissal sparked a flurry of tributes from Spurs players and Frank's initial task in north London will be to stabilise a shocked dressing room. However, the Danish coach has gained a reputation for excellent man-management skills during his impressive seven-year spell in charge of Brentford, where he won 136 of his 317 matches as head coach. 'It has been a pleasure working alongside Thomas,' Brentford director of football Phil Giles said. 'There have been so many special moments with Thomas and nobody will ever forget the day at Wembley for the play-off final or that emotional first Premier League game against Arsenal. 'We will never forget Thomas, but now it is time to thank him and take the next steps in our journey with a new leader who we believe can be just as successful and influential.' Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna is the bookmakers' favourite to replace Frank at Brentford. After a rocky start, Frank turned Brentford into one of the most entertaining teams in the Championship and clinched play-off success at Wembley in 2021 – despite the departures of Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma. Ex-Brondby boss Frank showed his supreme adaptability once in the top flight as his previously free-scoring side switched to a disciplined and organised unit, which frequently changed between a 4-3-3 and a 3-5-2 system. It enabled Frank to establish Brentford as a Premier League regular despite a modest budget and even the loss of Ivan Toney last summer failed to halt their momentum. During the 2024-25 campaign, Brentford recorded their best tally of top-flight wins (16) and goals (66) to secure a 10th-placed finish which further caught the attention of Tottenham. Justin Cochrane, left, is among the coaches moving from Brentford along with Frank (Andrew Matthews/PA) An official approach from Spurs was made on Monday before negotiations concluded on Thursday after an agreement had been reached over Frank's release clause – reported to be in the region of £10m – and his backroom staff. Frank has brought Cochrane with him to Tottenham along with Chris Haslam, previously Brentford's head of athletic performance, and first-team analyst Joe Newton. This move will also reunite Frank with Andreas Georgson, who spent a year at Brentford as a set-piece coach and now moves from Manchester United to Spurs, and technical director Johan Lange, who worked with Frank at Lyngby in their native Denmark and tried to bring him to Aston Villa in 2022. Even though Frank has failed to win any major silverware, he can change that when he manages Spurs for the first time competitively on August 13 in the UEFA Super Cup against Champions League winners Paris St Germain. Later on Thursday night, Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero sent out a cryptic post on Instagram, saying: 'Ange, thank you for these two incredible seasons. 'From day one you paved the way despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist. 'Beyond everything, we won a trophy and went down in the history of this beautiful club, which is the only thing that matters. I wish you the best because you deserve the best, and thank you for everything.'
Rhyl Journal
12-06-2025
- Rhyl Journal
A look at the longevity of Premier League managers
Frank had been the top flight's second longest-serving manager, having been appointed nearly seven years ago in October 2018. Here, the PA news agency looks at the new-look top five. PEP 💬 From day one, I felt incredible love and respect with all my assistants and coaches here. If I did not feel that I wouldn't be here. — Manchester City (@ManCity) November 22, 2024 Appointed: July 1, 2016 Guardiola's famed intensity has previously led to earlier than expected departures from Barcelona and Bayern Munich, with a sabbatical year in between, but at City he has put down roots – signing a contract extension last season to take his reign beyond a decade. He has won six league titles and the 2022-23 Champions League among his 14 major trophies with the club but will go into the new campaign seeking a response to a season of dramatic under-performance. Appointed: December 22, 2019 Premier League runners-up three years in a row, Arsenal's manager now also assumes second spot in these rankings from Frank. The Spaniard will reach six years at the helm just before Christmas but despite consistent strong performances, has only the 2019-20 FA Cup to show for his time in charge and will be desperate to finally add a league title. Appointed: July 1, 2021 Scott Parker's departure following relegation in 2021 led Fulham to turn to Silva and his has been a successful reign, winning the Championship title in his first season before finishing 10th, 13th and then 11th in the top flight. Silva was also linked with Spurs before Frank's appointment but looks set to lead the Cottagers into a fifth season. Appointed: November 8, 2021 The man to finally bring silverware to St James' Park after a wait of 56 years, Howe was appointed shortly after the Saudi-backed takeover of the club in 2021 – though not before Steve Bruce was allowed to remain in charge of his boyhood club for his 1,000th game in management. Second-bottom and winless at the time, Howe's Magpies finished 11th and have since been fourth, seventh and fifth in his three full seasons in charge. Appointed: November 5, 2022 Appointed almost a year after Howe, Emery also instigated a swift turnaround. Villa were outside the relegation zone on alphabetical order alone, ahead of Southampton, when he took over but finished seventh and then fourth the following season. A run to the Champions League quarter-finals ensued, beating Bayern Munich along the way before losing to eventual champions Paris St Germain, alongside a sixth-placed league finish. Thomas Frank goes from the second longest-serving manager at a Premier League club to the newest! He spent 6 years and 7 months at Brentford before moving to Spurs 🤝 — Premier League (@premierleague) June 12, 2025 Frank goes from one of the longest-serving Premier League managers to one of eight in post for less than a year. Prior to the Dane's appointment, the shortest reign belonged to David Moyes – though in a curious quirk, Moyes is also the Premier League manager who has spent longest with his current club thanks to a previous 11-year spell at Everton between 2002 and 2013. Two more managers will hit the two-year mark early next month – Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola on July 1 and Daniel Farke three days later with newly-promoted Leeds. Fabian Hurzeler has his one-year anniversary at Brighton this coming Sunday.
