ROB Baxter stood pitchside at Allianz Stadium with the weight of defeat on his shoulders, but what came through most clearly was not frustration – it was emotion, pride and something closer to renewal.

After a season that has reignited his belief in both himself and his team, the Exeter Chiefs director of rugby looked less broken by a Premiership final loss and more energised by what it represented.

Northampton Saints’ 26–17 win was decided in a blistering three-minute spell in the final quarter, when George Hendy struck twice to turn a tense, see-saw contest decisively in Saints’ favour. Yet for Baxter, the scoreboard told only part of the story.

The final itself had swung wildly. Northampton were ahead inside two minutes through Tommy Freeman after an early Chiefs mistake, only for Campbell Ridl to hit back and restore balance to an intense opening. Fin Smith then edged Saints back in front before Josh Iosefa-Scott powered over on the stroke of half-time, leaving his side just four points behind at the break.

The second half became a battle of nerves and discipline. Saints lost Josh Kemeny to the sin bin – and Chiefs captain Dafydd Jenkins immediately punished them by crashing over to put his side ahead.

However, momentum flipped again when Jenkins himself was yellow-carded minutes later, and Saints ruthlessly exploited the extra space. Hendy’s brace snatching back control and ultimately the title.

Like always, Baxter’s reflections afterwards were strikingly raw in honesty but also layered with pride.

“The first thing you have to do in a final is congratulate the opposition,” he said. “Otherwise, it just feels like you’re critiquing and criticising yourself.”

What stood out most to him was how close the Chiefs had pushed the champions.

“We had them deep into the game, under pressure, scores behind, and they just stuck with what they do,” he said.

Even the decisive moments, he argued, did not undermine his team’s performance but highlighted it. “We forced two tries out of kicks through,” he explained. “One where we don’t get our communication right and we basically bump the ball into their hands, and another where they slide it through on a pinpoint kick.”

His conclusion was simple, almost defiant in its optimism. “We forced Northampton to score 12 points from speculative kicks. That’s a pretty good performance from us.”

To understand why those words carried so much weight, you have to go back a year. Exeter’s journey to Twickenham marked a return to relevance after turbulence few at Sandy Park had experienced for a generation. Once the dominant force of English rugby – lifting titles in 2017 and 2020 and regularly finishing top two between 2016 and 2021 – the club had slipped into decline. Squad turnover, post-Covid disruption and a brutal 79–17 defeat at Gloucester last season forced a painful reset.

Coaching changes followed. Doubt spread. So did questions about direction.

This season, Baxter says, changed everything.

“When you work with lads who’ve worked as hard as ours have, it really rekindles your love for the game,” he said. “It has for me – and for a lot of supporters. We’ve probably changed the mindset of us as a club more than any group of players we’ve ever had.

“These lads have flipped it on its head. I don’t think anybody can be more proud of what they’ve achieved this season.”