Higgins makes move to Chiefs
There will be a new name in the Guinness Premiership next season - and that name is Exeter Chiefs.
Rob Baxter's side booked their place amongst the elite of the English game by sinking RFU Championship play-off final rivals Bristol 29-10 on their own turf.
And as Baxter yesterday nursed the after effects of a memorable evening at the Memorial Stadium, already the Chiefs head coach was hard at work planning ahead of the new season.
Less than 24 hours after his side had joined the likes of Bath, Gloucester, Leicester and Wasps in the top flight, Baxter was confirming the addition of Andrew Higgins to the playing ranks at Sandy Park.
tu blog The 28-year-old former Bath centre/wing has not played for a year after being one of the three Bath players suspended for missing two drug tests last summer.
Higgins retired from the game at the time, whilst Alex Crockett and Michael Lipman trained on their own before finding new clubs. Now, Higgins is ready to return to the professional game and Exeter are more than happy to offer him the lifeline he needs.
"All the recruitment I've looked at last season and this season has been based around players who have got something to prove," said Baxter.
"When you look at Andrew Higgins, the key fundamental for me is that he's got a lot to prove.
"I've spoken to him at length on the phone and had a very good meeting with him a few weeks ago at the club and I think he's a guy who's desperate to show people what kind of player he is and put other things behind him. That's fantastic for us, that's exactly the kind of guys we need to tu blog recruit, someone with a lot to prove, not someone who's just coming to Exeter because we're a Premiership club.
"He committed to Exeter long before Wednesday night so it wasn't a case that he'd come to us only if we were in the Premiership, he was going to come whatever league we were in.
"He gives us a lot of options in our backline, he can play in more than one position and he'll add quality in whatever position we pick him."
Having previously played in the Premiership with Bath, Bristol and Worcester, Baxter knows he has proven performer at this level and insists the decision to bring tu blog him to Devon is not a gamble. "As far as I'm concerned it's not a gamble as we're not expecting him to just come in out of the cold halfway through a season, he's going to have a full pre-season. "I know he's started training already in preparation for next season, I spoke to him yesterday morning and he's very excited about what we want to try to achieve. "A year off probably extends his playing career by a year and I think he's going to turn up with us fresh and raring to go." More new captures are promised over the coming weeks, but at the same time Baxter is happy to take on the Premiership with many of his existing Chiefs. "When I started talking to the guys about re-signing and staying at the club, I had to say to them that they were going to have to buy into the dream. Crucially, that whole starting line-up bought into what Exeter has achieved. "I knew before tonight they were all going to be here whether we got promoted or not. What they have done is a fantastic achievement." This is, however, only the start of things for the Chiefs and Baxter insists the club will not be looking back as they look to push on further. "It will be good," he said of the c
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