Stuart Townsend: Exeter scrum-half impresses Chiefs boss after comeback from suspension
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Stuart Townsend made his Premiership debut in February 2017
Exeter boss Rob Baxter has been impressed with the way Stuart Townsend has forced his way back into his plans.
The 25-year-old scrum-half returned from a five-match ban as a replacement in last Sunday's win over Newcastle.
It was just the 10th game for Townsend, who started the 2017 Premiership final win, since his comeback from a serious knee injury in December 2019.
"I've watched training and I'm feeling it's hard to leave him out," Baxter told BBC Sport.
"He's training at such an intensity level and bringing so much energy and so much vim and vigour to whichever team he's training in or whichever group he's training in, that you start to look and go 'it's really difficult to leave this guy out' and that's the challenge we set all the players who are not in the team.
"That's all he can continue to do, keep working that hard, keep showing that level of intent in training he did well when he came on."
Having been the starter for Exeter's first title win, Townsend spent the next season as understudy to Australia international Nic White before seriously injuring knee ligaments in December 2018.
Since then Townsend has seen Jack Maunder overtake him, and Exeter also brought in Scotland's Sam Hidalgo-Clyne after White's return to his homeland last summer.
"Think of the challenges he's got there," said Baxter.
"He's had to fight his way back in and now he's back within that 23. I think, he's done exceptionally well."
Townsend's ban was imposed in December for dangerous play at a ruck during their Premiership win at Leicester, but Baxter is delighted to have him back.
"It's great to have quality players and guys who'll stand and fight to the death pretty much in your team and we've got that now," he added.
"We've got some great options at nine, we've got a lot of strength in depth, international quality right across the group, and for us that's a fantastic bit of depth to have."