Exeter must target Premiership title after final defeat, says Baxter

Exeter Chiefs have to target winning the Premiership this season. That is the message from boss Rob Baxter ahead of Saturday's opener at home to Gloucester.

Baxter was blunt about the standard. "You've got to target winning the Premiership if you've lost the final," he told BBC Sport.

Exeter lost to Northampton in last season's final at Twickenham. Defeat at the home of English rugby ended their bid for a third league title.

The Chiefs had earned their place there. They finished third in the Premiership, the top flight of English men's club rugby union, then beat Bath in the semi-final to reach the showpiece.

That run marked a sharp turnaround. Just a year earlier, in the 2024-25 campaign, Exeter had finished second-from-bottom.

Baxter has described that climb from near the foot of the table to a Premiership final as one of his greatest achievements. It restored belief after a difficult spell. Now he wants more.

The next push starts against Gloucester. Exeter then face a busy first block of five league matches and one European Champions Cup game before the season pauses for the Autumn internationals, when England are in Test action.

Baxter knows what winning takes. He has been in charge for Exeter's entire time as a Premiership club and led them to English titles in 2017 and 2020, according to BBC Sport.

What makes this stand out is the speed of the revival. To go from survival worries to 80 minutes from champions in one season takes momentum. Baxter is challenging his squad to carry it one step further.

That will mean handling tight finishes. Semi-finals and finals often turn on one scrum, one lineout — the contest to restart play after the ball goes into touch — or one kick at goal.

A home win to start would help. Victory over Gloucester would send Exeter into that six-game stretch with confidence and keep the title talk alive.