Rob Baxter hopeful Wales international can ‘press forward’ after injury woes
Rob Baxter (left) and an insert of Dafydd Jenkins
Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter is hoping Wales star Dafydd Jenkins can “press forward” following his return to action in his side’s Investec Champions Cup clash with Toulouse.
Jenkins underwent double knee/shoulder surgery after Wales’ summer tour of Australia, and had missed all of Exeter’s fixtures since. He was also ruled out of Wales’ Autumn Nations Series campaign.
“He’s raring to go”
Speaking to Planet Rugby after his side’s 64-21 defeat to Toulouse, Baxter was glad to see his star lock return to action after such a long spell on the physio table.
“It’s fantastic for us, and obviously now he’s up and running,” said Baxter. “He’s had nearly half a half of rugby in him so hopefully he can he can press forward for the rest of the season.”
Jenkins showed exactly just why he has been such a big miss for Exeter upon his entry from the bench, as he notched four carries for 11 metres and also chipped in with five tackles in his 32-minute cameo.
“It’ll benefit us as a side and the players around him,” Baxter continued. “He’s a very good player and he’s raring to go. It’ll be nice to analyse his game now and see how well he’s done and it’ll be another step forward for us in the quality of our squad.”
The 22-year-old Bridgend-native came to the Chiefs via their connection with Exeter University – where he studied Sports Science – and went on to make his senior debut in the 2021/22 season. Since then, Jenkins has become a crucial part of the Exeter Chiefs squad, making 46 appearances to date. He was also named as the club’s matchday captain during the 2023/24 season.
After impressing with the Chiefs, Jenkins was drafted into the Wales squad and made his Test debut in November 2022. Again, he has quickly become a key cog in the Welsh team since his debut with 19 caps to his name, and stepped up as captain during the Six Nations last year, becoming the second-youngest player to captain the national side in their history.
His return to fitness is also a huge boost for Warren Gatland ahead of the Six Nations, with Adam Beard still a doubt after a serious injury picked up last month.
Do Exeter throw him back into the starting XV?
With Jenkins now back in action, it would be very tempting to just throw him straight back into the starting XV for their upcoming Premiership clash with Sale Sharks, but Baxter also has some decent options in that lock unit.
Academy graduates Richard Capstick and Rusi Tuima – who both came through as back-rowers – have been regular features in the Chiefs’ engine room this season, and were once again in decent touch against Toulouse. Taunton-native Capstick made eight tackles against Toulouse, joint-third with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Dan Frost in the Chiefs squad, and England A man Tuima was also busy with six carries and four tackles.
Commenting on what he could do for the Sale clash, Baxter told Planet Rugby he will look at the efforts of all three players to see who “merits” a start.
“What I’ll do is I’ll analyse the game and we’ll judge how well Richard Capstick and Rusi Tuima played. If he doesn’t merit getting back in the team, he doesn’t merit it, but if he does, then we’ll get him involved straight away.”
Baxter also has fellow Welsh international Christ Tshiunza and Argentina ace Franco Molina at his disposal once again after they had their enforced rest against Toulouse, and would also be decent options to come into the starting pack.
