I see echoes of my great Bath side in Baxter's Chiefs

Exeter Chiefs have strong similarities in key areas with the Bath side under Jack Rowell during my time as a player. Above all, you need a smart coach who has the ability to communicate brilliantly with all his players. On top of that he needs to get his message across through a talented group of assistant coaches and leading players.

- JEREMY GUSCOTT

You need half a dozen coaches and players who are on the same wavelength, and you need at least a couple of them who can challenge the head coach so that improvements on original ideas can be made.

The big difference with the professional era is that you now have either individual owners, or a group of owners, who have an overriding say in what direction clubs take, and who they appoint or sign. In the past, it was mainly the head coach who had the vision, and he selected a captain and a few senior coaches who had influence over the playing squad to put it into practice.

These days it is often owners who make decisions which can change things dramatically, which adds another layer of complexity to the structure – and in order to be successful in the way Exeter have been it means that they have to be in sync with the head coach, and with the other significant influencers in and around the squad.

That’s why there is no doubt that Tony Rowe, who is the Chiefs chairman and main mover-and-shaker off the pitch, is on the same page as Baxter – and that his main coaches, Ali Hepher and Rob Hunter, and players like joint captains Joe Simmonds and Jack Yeandle, have all signed-up.

It is not something that happens overnight, and many clubs do not have the same magic ingredient in terms of alignment between ownerhead coach-assistant coaches/ senior players-playing squad, as Exeter do.

It is not surprising, because even without the owner element, there are so many more moving parts you need to align in a pro club. For instance, you have many more specialist coaches now – whether defence, attack, scrum, lineout, kicking, skills, or conditioning – and all of them can be very influential, whether positive or negative.