'I can’t sit here and say we look like a team with massive rugby IQ'

Exeter boss Rob Baxter praised his Chiefs’ fighting spirit after a first victory at StoneX Stadium since 2017 completed their 2025 redemption story.

Falling 12-3 and then 24-13 behind, Exeter had to dig deep to overcome Saracens with two tries by Greg Fisilau and one late on from Henry Slade propelling them to a 30-24 triumph.

The win lifted them to the summit of the Gallagher Prem table and they are unrecognisable from the side that occupied bottom place this time last year.

“The truth is we’ve got a group of guys with fantastic spirit,” director of rugby Baxter said.

“I can’t sit here and say we look like a team with massive rugby IQ who don’t make errors with rock-solid discipline. What I can say is we’re a team that don’t go away.

“We’ve got great spirit, great fight, great fitness. My job is to not dampen that and keep adding that little bit of detail around not beating ourselves.

“You can foster that spirit but if you foster it, then the lads have got to run with it. When we’ve built teams before, it’s a continual process.

“Sometimes it’s just as simple as getting off the floor and getting back in the fight, all 15 of you. They’ve had enough success with it now to believe in it.

“If you keep chasing kicks, keep getting off the floor, keep running hard then sooner or later things will go your way.”

Exeter muted Saracens’ Christmas celebrations despite seeing Tom Hooper and Campbell Ridl sent to the sin-bin in each half.

“We are delighted by this win and that’s a compliment to Sarries. Not many teams come here and win because they are very, very good at how they formulate to win games and keep you under pressure,” Baxter said.

“Most teams with two yellow cards against them would be dead and buried, but we managed to come through that. It’s a marker of being a very competitive team to come here and win.”

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall insisted Exeter’s calmness under pressure was instructive for his side.

“When a couple of things went against us, we didn’t react in the way that we have been reacting the whole season,” McCall said.

“We had a half-decent lead a couple of times and it felt like they were able to come back far too easily.

“Exeter defended brilliantly and fair play to them – the fight they have shown away from home all season has been magnificent.

“Even at 24-13 down you see the belief in the group, there was no panic at all. We can learn from that because we didn’t handle the setbacks as well as we could have done.”