Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter says club 'ready' to be trophy-winning side again

  • Watch the full interview with Rob Baxter above

The Director of Rugby at Exeter Chiefs has said he is aiming for the squad to finish higher in the Premiership this season.

Speaking ahead of the club's opening fixture of the season against Leicester Tigers, Rob Baxter said the Chiefs have a strong crop of young players who have the potential to rebuild the team that won the European Championship in 2020.

"I think we're ready for it now," he said. "We've had a decent pre-season. We've had some good performances in our warm-up games and it feels like the right time to start.

"Walking around Exeter now and talking to people, they're ready to go to watch some games of Premiership rugby."

And for those fans heading to Sandy Park, he said there's an "opportunity" to witness a club on the rise again.

"There's an opportunity to be on the start of a journey again," he said.

"People can come to Sandy Park and hopefully have a good day - but also they can be part of watching this team grow into a trophy-winning side."

Exeter Chiefs were crowned winners of the European Rugby Champions Cup for the first time in 2020. Credit: PA

But the club's Premiership campaign will begin without some key players as they recover from injury or surgery.

Henry Slade, who last year won Premiership player of the year, is still recovering from surgery to his shoulder during the summer break while Dafydd Jenkins and Tommy Wyatt hope to return in the Autumn.

Jacques Vermeulen and Zack Wimbush are also out of action.

"That's kind of part and parcel for how things go," Baxter said. "The guys who are out injured at the moment will still return in time to have a big say in the season. What we've got to focus on now is the here and now - start the season now as well as we can and start collecting points as quickly as we can."

He said the key to success is focusing on getting a little bit better each season.

"I'd like to demand of ourselves that we're a bit better than last year," he told ITV News.

"As long as you keep taking forward steps and you're the right age range in your squad you will eventually get to where you want to be - but you just have to keep moving forward.

"If we can get to the end of this season and we know we're a better team... then that will be a good season for us."