Exeter Chiefs’ Jack Maunder discusses his uncertain future, the brilliance of the Barbarians and learning from Quade Cooper

An unexpected Barbarians call-up and then a joyous day in the Twickenham sunshine provided some light at the end of a dark couple of months for Jack Maunder, a born and bred man of Exeter Chiefs.

Maunder is often much maligned among a segment of the Chiefs fanbase for his structured, unflashy style of play. But Maunder is a product of his environment and Exeter is all he has known in terms of professional rugby. In the past Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter has been quick to defend his player, citing how he has the highest winning percentage of any scrum-half to play for the club in the professional era. That’s not a bad top line to your CV.

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But even Baxter decided it was time for a change at nine this summer and in the cutthroat world of professional sport told the Devon local boy his services were no longer required after 13 years at the club having come through the academy. To Maunder, the news came as a shock and upturned his world.

Speaking to Devon Live having just put in an impressive display in the Barbarians’ 48-42 victory over the World XV at Twickenham the day after the Premiership final, Maunder said: “I don’t know what the future holds.

“The last few months have taught me to enjoy rugby and live in the present a little more. I am not going to try and think too far ahead. I will be sad that I am not going to be a Exeter next season and I am going to be sad that I am going to wake up tomorrow and have to say goodbye to a very special group of lads who have made my week really special.”

Having fended off questions over their place in the professional era, the Barbarians find themselves in a period of Renaissance having reinvented themselves this season to provide a highly valuable calendar filler after the Premiership saw Wasps and Worcester go under, leaving clubs out of pocket after losing planned matchdays, and next season the invitational side will face both Bristol Bears and Gloucester Rugby in September in a series of fixtures against club sides.

And the 133-year-old invitational side certainly still holds a special place in the hearts of the players as Maunder, wearing the socks of Blundell’s School, attests. He said: “Today was up there, other than doing the double with Exeter, that is probably up there as one of the best days of my life.

“I got surprised at the end by about 15 of my best mates from university and friends in outfits, my housemate organised it all, it was pretty emotional. I can’t thank them enough. Friends and family make these sort of days really special and they have made this one of the most special ever. To see my mentor and family watching means a hell of a lot.”

Maunder started both of Exeter’s final successes of 2020 in a young half-back partnership with Joe Simmonds who has also left the club this summer to join French Top 14 side Pau.

While Simmonds has an impressive CV of his own, Maunder said he had marvelled at Wallabies stand-off Quade Cooper’s understanding of the game, embracing being given more license to play an expansive brand of rugby compared to Exeter’s natural pugilistic style.

Marauder said with a smile and a laugh: “I only hit one box kick today. I think I have been averaging 50 a game. All the boys were telling me to kick it because no one could suck in any more air but I thought ‘Surely not, c’mon lads I have just spent the whole season box kicking.’

“I loved it. That is one of the most enjoyable games I have ever had, doing stuff that I would never normally do and finding myself in spaces I don’t normally go. I found myself on the wing at one point. Just stuff like that.”

He explained: “It was really interesting speaking to the lads about different philosophies on the game. I spent a lot of time with Quade in training and just how he sees the game, how amazing and how smart he is.

“Just little things throughout the game, he was telling me if you do this, this and this you will get a break and it literally happened.

“I was like ‘Oh my god.’

“It is definitely something I am going to take away from the week, that I can look at how rugby is played a bit differently than I have done from the start of my career.”

At 26 there is still plenty of rugby left in Maunder, who earned a solitary England cap back in 2017 against Argentina in Santa Fe.

Marauder leaves Chiefs having made 141 appearances for the club, following in the footsteps of his scrum-half-playing father Andy who was an Exeter regular in the amateur days, with his number nine brother Sam left to fly the flag for the family, with Will Becconsall snapping at his heels and experienced clubman Stu Townsend for competition.

Jack’s future, uncertain though it may be, lies elsewhere but there are few free agents on the market with as much experience of big knockout games as the Devon man who no doubt will find a new home before long.

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