Exeter Chiefs turn sights on Europe after Premiership win

Rob Baxter has challenged Exeter to perform in Europe after winning their first-ever Premiership trophy.

Seven years after winning promotion to the top-flight for the first time, Exeter edged out Wasps 23-20 at Twickenham on Saturday to secure their maiden Premiership crown.

Fly-half Gareth Steenson - one of three survivors from Exeter's 2010 promotion - admitted saying a prayer to his late father before nervelessly booting the winning penalty with 90 seconds to play.

Rugby director Baxter admitted Exeter's title success was founded on his players' angry reaction to losing four of the campaign's first five games - before immediately accepting the Chiefs must now attempt to conquer Europe.

"We've let ourselves down in Europe in the last couple of years, and we have to address that," said Baxter, after Exeter chairman Tony Rowe said the Chiefs' next stop is fighting for a Champions Cup title.

"Europe should be a marker for us, and I don't mind the chairman saying that. I'm not going to shy away from saying we're the best team in the Premiership.

"Everyone's got massive respect for Saracens but if you take the league alone, ourselves and Wasps topped the competition.

"But as great as today is, it can't be the defining thing about Exeter. If it's a downward spiral from here, I'll be massively disappointed and I'll have failed.

"We need to put a group of players who will say 'I'm going to do something to make sure we stay as Premiership champions'.

"The emotional stuff after the whistle, it's hard to describe. It just happened. My wife and family are here, they take the brunt of what you go through day by day.

"We did need to have a stiff word with ourselves after our start to the season. It's easy to have a stiff word, but you need people who decide to do something about it.

"We've had a group of players prepared to listen that what we were doing wasn't good enough."

Exeter's 35-8 home defeat to Clermont in October proved to be the tipping point for boss Baxter and his players, with the squad then sitting down and demanding a reversal of fortunes.

The Chiefs powered to a second-place finish in the table, and then ground home in extra time thanks to Steenson's dead-eye goal-kicking, and earlier tries from Jack Nowell and Phil Dollman.

Jimmy Gopperth and Elliot Daly bagged tries as Wasps refused to relent amid Exeter's far-superior tight game.

Wasps eventually buckled however, with Exeter forcing one too many scrum penalties - leaving Steenson to step up and seal the victory.

Steenson admitted he would have found it hard to believe days like this were in his future when his father died during his stint with the Cornish Pirates.

"I said a prayer to my old man upstairs before the last kick, and it worked," said Steenson.

No gamesmanship

Dai Young insisted Wasps quickly rejected the notion of moving to uncontested scrums after injuries to props Phil Swainston and Marty Moore.

Simon McIntyre shifted to tighthead prop with Matt Mullan returning - with Young insisting Wasps were disinterested in gamesmanship, even despite the magnitude of the match.

"We did consider that but that's bending the rules the wrong way to be honest with you," said Young of the potential for uncontested scrums.

"This defeat shows we're still a work in progress. t hurts and there's not much to say to make it feel better.

"But fair play to Exeter, congratulations to a great club and a great team."