Rob Baxter: “I want to look back in a few years’ time and be able to say this year was the year that made this team.”

As signing announcements begin at Sandy Park with a new face already introduced and some familiar ones ready to recommit to the Chiefs, loyal supporters are invited to renew their season tickets. The man at the helm for more than a decade – Rob Baxter – looks to the future with a renewed motivation for what is to come.

Many supporters will remember the footage. A broad grin on his face, delight overtaking him as he realised the immensity of what his side had achieved, the Exeter Chiefs Director of Rugby heard the full-time whistle at Twickenham on May 27, 2017. His squad were Premiership champions.

A true Chief to the core – whether it be in the days of strapping up his boots or now when he collects his whistle from the desk in the Sandy Park coaches office – one thing Baxter has never lacked is a drive to push his side forward, to take the next step in their journey.

That first title is joined in the trophy cabinet by LV Cup glory, domestic cup competition triumphs and, unforgettably, the euphoria of a domestic and European double in 2020.

It’s no secret that the 2024/25 season hasn’t reflected those same high standards, however, there is conviction in his voice as the Chiefs Director of Rugby explains where he hopes to take this new squad.

“For me personally, my biggest motivation right here and now is to see where we can go with this group of players,” he says before reflecting on those early days in the Premiership.

“My approach when we were first promoted was that we were going to make the most of all of it because initially you don’t know how long you’re going to be there. I think that approach was really good for helping that group of players understand what the bigger vision of the club was.

“There wasn’t a massive expectation that they had to win every game but there was a big expectation that they train hard, play hard, look after each other and understand they were in it together. That saw them through a lot of things.”

The players from those days may have departed, but Baxter has remained the constant. As is the cyclical nature of sport, he finds himself once again guiding a young squad hungry to prove themselves and etch their names into the pages of Chiefs history books.

“Last season showed that when you keep your vision on where you’re going in a realistic manner then a team can probably perform above themselves which I think we did last year,” he says, referencing Chiefs highly competitive performances last season as they progressed to an Investec Champions Cup quarter final in Toulouse in their first campaign as a new squad.

“I think that was fantastic and our approach to the season was very good but then I’m the first one to admit and hold my hand up to the fact that we probably tried to progress the team too quickly in this year’s pre-season.

“We could have taken a more measured approach and talked about how we were taking the next step along the pathway, but I wanted to progress us beyond that because we did that after three or four years in the Premiership and it became the foundation for us winning things.

“We probably weren’t quite ready for that this season, so the motivation now is giving this squad a vision for the future. Where are we going to go? How are we going to develop over the coming seasons? How are we going to work our way back to being a top side in the Premiership?”

As is always the case with Exeter Chiefs – the club is part of a broader business model – there is a strategy unfurling away from the field with other aspects of the business.

“Our expectation is that we’re going to grow the overall business. We hope to grow our supporter base, though that will obviously depend on performances on the field. It will all allow our funding to grow, our recruitment to reach another level, and our retention to be focused in a different way.

“I think it’s really important that people understand that we have a genuine vision and a plan for where we will go. I’ve seen this all happen before, I’ve seen the steps you need to take both on and off the field so I’m very keen to see that happen again. I’m also very confident that it will happen again.

“That’s my biggest motivation – I want to look back in a few years’ time and be able to say this year was the year that made this team and made us what we are. That it showed us as a club that we can weather the tough times and come through them.”

The supporters’ impact at Sandy Park is one which players and coaches often proclaim as unrivalled in the league. As fans prepare to pledge their dedication to the club for another season, Baxter acknowledges their commitment to remaining part of the Chiefs’ journey.

“I think this is genuinely a very exciting project and an exciting journey to be on. It feels different this year because last year went as well as it did, but we’re still a core group that can move forward together. We’ve got to get our foundations correctly in place and make sure that everyone is hungry to improve.”