‘Same players but different men’ – Exeter’s remarkable turnaround

Exeter boss Rob Baxter says guiding his side from their worst season to a Premiership final is one of the greatest achievements of his career, after a dramatic turnaround built on the same group of players but a very different mindset.

The Chiefs have gone from a difficult campaign to reaching the Premiership final, and Baxter believes the transformation has been as much about mentality as talent. Speaking about the challenge, he said his role has been to prepare the squad physically and emotionally for the demands of another major performance.

Baxter praises Exeter’s emotional response

“My job is to just get them ready enough and I say more than anything else, emotionally ready enough to put another 80 minutes together, because if they can roll up like that again, it’s going to be a hell of a day,” Baxter said.

His comments underline how important Exeter’s response has been after a season that tested the club. Rather than relying on a major overhaul, the Chiefs have improved through resilience, belief and a renewed sense of purpose. Baxter’s assessment suggests the biggest change has come from within the dressing room.

From worst season to Premiership final

Exeter’s rise to the final has made the achievement stand out even more for Baxter, who described the journey as one of his finest. The club’s progress has been notable because it has come from the same players, but with a different attitude and a stronger collective edge.

That shift has helped Exeter turn a disappointing period into a chance to compete for silverware. Baxter’s focus now is on ensuring the squad can reproduce the same level of intensity for one more match, with the final representing the culmination of a remarkable recovery.

For Exeter, the story is not just about reaching the Premiership final. It is about how a team that endured its worst season found a way to rebuild itself, and how Baxter helped turn that into one of the standout comebacks of the campaign.