Sam Simmonds leads the player exodus out of Exeter this summer - but not before taking Chiefs into the Champions Cup semi-finals.
That, at least, is the plan as he lines up against Stormers today in what is his last-but-one game at Sandy Park.
Exeter are still alive in the competition because of what the England number eight did last week to Montpellier, the French champions he joins at the end of the season.
“Almost impossible to handle,” said Chiefs boss Rob Baxter after the 28-year old scored one try, made another and had more carries than any player in the round of 16.
Simmonds will again need to be dominant if the dream to end his 11-year Exeter career in a second Champions Cup final is to survive another round.
Stormers had far too much muscle for Harlequins last week, powering into a 32-7 lead with three mauled tries before taking their foot off the gas.
While travel chaos en route from Cape Town has restricted them to just two training sessions in Devon, their pedigree is not in doubt. They are the only side this season that Leinster have failed to beat.
“They dealt with Harlequins pretty easily and Harlequins dealt with us pretty easily two weeks ago,” added Baxter. “So that’s it – game over!”
Not if Simmonds hits his straps again it won't be, and Scott Sio, Chiefs’ vastly experienced Aussie prop, expects nothing less.
“Sam has that edge to his game, especially in the carrying department,” said the Wallaby. “He carried us for a lot of last week’s game.
“We need him to get his hands on the ball early to get involved and get this group going again. A lot of us can play off the back of that.”
It is three years since Exeter last conquered Europe, Simmonds scoring in the final against Racing 92 before being named European player of the year. It came at a price, however, which Chiefs are now about to pay.
During first lockdown in 2020, when professional rugby feared for its very survival, English Premiership clubs agreed to slash the salary cap from £6.4 million to £5m.
Exeter’s response was to get in before the deadline with new contracts on full salary knowing that when those came to end the lower cap would not enable them to keep their stars.
“That was always going to cause us problems,” admitted Baxter. “But we took that choice and kept that squad together and won a Heineken Cup.”
Three years on Simmonds is to be joined at Montpellier by club mates Luke Cowan-Dickie and Harry Williams, with brother Joe bound for Pau, Jack Nowell for La Rochelle and Dave Ewers to Ulster.
“Those guys leaving is all the emotion we need for Saturday,” said Sio. “A lot of the young boys in the team are playing with their heroes.
“The motivation to win and not let down players they have idolised for a long time will be fuel for a lot of this team.”
