Exeter Rugby Club Parts Ways with Defence Coach Omar Mouneimne

Exeter’s defence coach, Omar Mouneimne, has departed from the club. His exit occurs after 28 months within the coaching staff and coincides with the team’s poorest start to a Premiership season on record. The Chiefs, having suffered defeats in all six of their matches this season, have concluded their association with the 49-year-old South African coach, formerly of Worcester and Bristol. Mouneimne had been based at Sandy Park since his departure from the Bears in 2022, and Haydn Thomas is set to take over his role. Thomas, a former scrum-half for Exeter, has held coaching positions with the University of Exeter and England U20s, in addition to his responsibilities as a backs and attack coach at Sandy Park. He is also involved with the England ‘A’ coaching staff. In the current season, after six fixtures, Exeter has allowed the fourth-highest number of points in the Premiership, averaging 29 points conceded per match. Earlier this month, they became the first team in 15 months to be defeated by Newcastle, with the match taking place at Kingston Park. Furthermore, Harlequins notably penetrated Exeter’s defence with apparent ease during their bonus-point victory at Sandy Park on Saturday. Rob Baxter, the director of rugby, issued a statement regarding the change: “I would like to thank Omar for his hard work in helping us develop a new and transitional young group of players into a competitive Premiership squad,” he stated. “However, I felt we needed to head in a new direction defensively and after some conversations between Omar and I, we agreed now was the right time for a change.”