Rob Baxter: Premiership Rugby must move on and be positive, says Exeter boss

Rob Baxter has led Exeter to two Premiership titles and one European Champions Cup since taking charge in March 2009

Exeter boss Rob Baxter says Premiership Rugby and those around it must "move on" from the issues that have affected it over the past year.

Wasps, Worcester and London Irish have all been forced out of the league after going into administration.

Meanwhile there has been controversy over the laws on tackle heights that has seen high-profile suspensions to players such as Owen Farrell.

"We very rarely talk about any good stuff in rugby any more," Baxter said.

"We seem to be infatuated with tackle height at the moment, it seems we just cannot get away from it.

"Regardless of whether we make law changes or not it seems to infatuate people whether someone gets a yellow card or a red card or what the repercussions of it are, that's all that gets talked about in commentary, especially in particular in this country.

"When was the last time we talked about the Premiership being the most competitive league in the world?" Baxter told BBC Sport.

"For games that finish within seven points of each other and tries, the Premiership far outstrips any other competition.

"Yet we talk about it non-stop that this league 'oh teams are going bankrupt and no-one wants to come and watch it'.

"We're actually creating this for ourselves - the whole picture around English rugby we can move on from it, but we all have to decide to move on from it."

Cuts to the salary cap have seen some players leave England to play overseas, with Exeter seeing a host of star names head elsewhere such as Jack Nowell, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Sam and Joe Simmonds.

It means a young squad for Baxter that will have their first competitive test when they host Bristol in the revamped Premiership Rugby Cup on Saturday.

"I think we'll see some really vibrant rugby this season, both in the Premiership Cup and the Premiership," Baxter said.

"I think it'll be a really great league because there's no reason to say it won't be as competitive as last year, and last year the competition had so much jeopardy and so many tries and so many tight games that we should have been talking really good things about it."

But the long-serving Exeter boss added: "Has anybody seen a news article in the last week that's not been either an ex-coach or ex-player or someone making a comment on the England team or what's happening?

"There's so few people trying to look for a future and find a way forward and 'lets get ready for the start of a new season and find some excitement around things', it's almost like no-one can ever try and write something that might end up being positive."