Ban against alcohol will be counterproductive - Rob Baxter

Exeter Chiefs rugby director believes a ban against alcohol will be counter-productive to the rising drink-related problems in the sport.

The Sandy Park outfit celebrated their maiden Aviva Premiership triumph last season with few days' drinking and the 46-year-old highlighted on the importance of celebrating the success.

Recently, Manu Tuilagi and Denny Solomona were sent off from the England training camp in Teddington as they arrived to the team hotel drunk ahead of the final day's training which did not go well Eddie Jones.

Kyle Sinckler during his British and Irish Lions tour was also arrested and later released without any charges due to a similar issue in the New Zealand tour.

"You've got to let guys celebrate together," Baxter told Press Association Sport.

"What often gets you through is when you work hard for each other and when it means something.

"Letting them develop a bond as a team is very important.

"You can't have it (drinking) inhibiting where you want to go as a club, and you can't have it offending anybody.

"But if you give them an opportunity to be trusted and act like men is often the way to get performances like men.

"We like to create an environment where they are given the opportunity to act like men and to perform like men.

"I don't know the full story of what happened with the two England players, but if the rumours are to be believed that they went out late before the main training day, it's pretty clear that's going to be pretty inhibiting.

"In any culture you can't allow that to happen, that's pretty different from having a beer on a Saturday night after a match. One thing doesn't mean the other is acceptable.

"The more often you can do it the more often you can get the right buy-in.

"If you ban it completely that's when you start to get the little fireworks of things happening at the wrong time, doing it inappropriately, or it being driven underground.

"You don't need to have a midweek drink because you can go out on a Saturday night."

Exeter Chiefs registered their maiden Aviva Premiership title last season when they defeated Wasps 23-20 in the final which was widely celebrated by the players.

However, Baxter believes the success will not matter much when they take the field this season and urged on gaining initial momentum.

"Now we've got to make sure that last season is not the end of a journey," said Baxter.

"We've got to leave it behind, even though that's hard to do.

"The most disappointing thing would be if it became a peak that we never reached again.

"For the players, the celebrating went on quite a long time, and it should have done.

"You've got to celebrate the good times when they're there.

"I'd hate for the likes of Gareth Steenson to finish his career and think 'oh I won the Premiership once, and I didn't really enjoy it, I didn't make the most of it'.

"You can use winning a final as a positive, or let it become a bit of a crutch.

"The champion club of England should turn up and perform in a certain way, today, in training.

"We've got to make sure it doesn't become any emotional baggage."