Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter applauds club effort
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I'm very proud of the players - Baxter
Exeter's Championship play-off win over Bristol came from the dedication of everyone involved with the club, says boss Rob Baxter.
The Chiefs beat Bristol 38-16 over two legs to claim a spot in the Premiership for the first time in their history.
Baxter told BBC Spotlight: "Whatever we've achieved, we've not just achieved on the pitch, we've achieved as a team right through the club.
"Everybody should take credit, and I'm going to make sure everybody does."
He added: "I'm very proud of the players, and the way they played not just today and last week, but all season."
Despite coming second behind Bristol during the regular Championship season, it was the Chiefs who made the most of the newly introduced play-off system.
We've been in a special place as a team for a number of weeks
Rob Baxter
The first leg at Sandy Park on 19 May saw Baxter's charges come away with a narrow 9-6 win, giving them a three-point lead ahead of Wednesday's second leg at the Memorial Stadium.
And with a capacity crowd of 11,850 inside Bristol's ground, it was Exeter who seized on the opportunity to join the elite of English rugby, running out winners by 29-10.
Baxter said: "We said before the game that destiny has led us here.
"We'd known we were going to finish the season here for a number of weeks, so we just said this is where we draw a line in the sand, this is where we make our stand.
"This is the battleground, get out and win the fight, and we did."
Baxter, who spent 14 years playing for the Chiefs, including 10 as captain, added that the magnitude of what his side have achieved will take some getting used to.
"We've been in a special place as a team for a number of weeks now and it's going to feel slightly strange getting up going in to start working the boys again," he said.
"When you watch a group of players develop as these guys have, you want to keep doing that and I just can't wait to start training again."
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