Baxter wants Exeter to get more 'competitive edge'

Exeter head of rugby Rob Baxter says mini improvements successful his broadside could reap large rewards successful nan forthcoming Premiership season.

Baxter's young squad vanished seventh past play - six points disconnected a play-off place.

The likes of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Greg Fisilau, Josh Hodge and Dafydd Jenkins gained valuable crippled clip aft nan nine had mislaid long-serving, knowledgeable players past summer.

"We've sewage to to find a measurement to adhd that other competitory separator to get those mates much victories and past we'll beryllium correct up location and we tin person a awesome season," Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.

"I want to travel retired astatine nan extremity of play and spell 'we're better, our young players person matured further, they're much experienced'," nan Exeter leader added.

Exeter won a European Champions Cup and Premiership double successful 2020 and reached nan Premiership last 12 months later, but nan Chiefs person seen their home occurrence tail off.

Having reached six successive Premiership finals betwixt 2016 and 2021 nan nine has vanished seventh for nan past 3 years, though Exeter did make nan semi-finals of nan Champions Cup 2 years ago, and nan past 8 past season.

Last summertime saw nan likes of Stuart Hogg, Jack Nowell, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Dave Ewers each time off aft successful spells, arsenic younger players sewage their chance.

"If we prime up much world caps crossed nan squad, if we move guardant and we're a spot much competitory distant from location it won't needfully replicate itself straightaway successful points and convention position, but really conscionable small bits of betterment are what yet get you to wherever you want to go," Baxter said.

"That's each we did before. We improved nan team, we matured nan team, we added to it arsenic we needed to spell on and you extremity up winning thing astatine nan extremity of day.

"That's what we've sewage to attraction connected - conscionable keeping getting amended and keeping moving forward."

Exeter were 1 of 7 sides pinch a chance of making nan play-offs earlier nan last crippled of past season, successful what was nan closest Premiership title ever.

Exeter statesman nan caller run astatine location to Leicester connected 21 September earlier travelling to champions Northampton a week later.

"It's looking massively competitive," Baxter said.

"You can't look astatine immoderate of nan squads of nan apical 4 aliases 5 teams past twelvemonth and spell 'they're not going to beryllium bully squads and bully teams again' because they are.

"They'll person gained immoderate acquisition and they'll beryllium fresh to effort to push on.

"It's going to beryllium an unthinkable season, what we've sewage to really attraction connected is getting these pre-season games done correct and we'll spell from there."