Head coach Rob Baxter used to captain the Exeter Chiefs

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter believes his team have the potential to be a Premiership side.

But Baxter, who became head coach in May, thinks the Chiefs need to stop expecting success to come to them.

He said: "I think it's time for us to turn around and say we're going to be the ones who create history.

"If this group of players want to achieve something, it won't be because the club finally gets there, it'll be because they do something special."

Exeter narrowly missed out on promotion last season, coming second to Leeds in National One.

Baxter told BBC Sport: "Exeter is a club with massive potential and I think everyone keeps looking at us in this league and wonders when it's going to be our turn.

"But we've got to get out of this habit of saying it's a club that's going places.

"We've got to get this club into the Premiership and it's something that we've talked about a lot as a group already."

The Chiefs have been back in pre-season training for two weeks, mainly focusing on fitness.

Exeter had one of the largest squads in National One last season, with more than 50 eligible players, and Baxter has been quick to reduce numbers during the close-season.

He said: "We've decided to go with a slightly smaller squad this year and maybe trust our academy players a bit more.

"It should create a tighter knit group of players, but we are slightly taking a chance that injuries could hit us hard," he added.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version