COULD this be Rob Baxter's greatest triumph?

Exeter Chiefs have lifted Premiership titles before. They’ve conquered Twickenham twice and reached the summit of European rugby under the stewardship of the club's most successful coach.

But what unfolded at The Recreation Ground on Saturday felt different.

A year ago, the Devonians were at their lowest ebb. Ninth in the Premiership, bruised by heavy defeats and stripped of the aura that once made them English rugby's benchmark, they appeared a club searching for direction.

Now, after producing one of the great play-off upsets to beat defending champions Bath 27-26, they stand just 80 minutes away from completing a transformation few thought possible.

On Saturday (3pm), the Chiefs will return to Twickenham to face Northampton Saints in the Gallagher Premiership final. They will travel as underdogs, but after what they achieved in Bath, few will be willing to write them off.

As the final whistle sounded and the visitors somehow survived 41 relentless phases of Bath pressure, the magnitude of the moment was etched across Baxter’s face.

“I’ve had some good rugby days, and I know it’s not a final, but this is up there as one of the best days," said Baxter. “It’s up there because of last season. To look at players fighting to a standstill like they did today, and some of those lads were the same lads getting 80 points put on them at Gloucester. They are the same players, but they’re different men.”

That transformation is perhaps why this latest Chiefs side appears to hold a special place in Baxter’s heart.

The architect of every major success in the club’s modern history has always maintained a close bond with his players, but this group feels different. They’re not established stars at the peak of their powers. They’re a team rebuilt from disappointment, a squad that has had to learn hard lessons together and grow through adversity.

The depth of that connection was evident in the jubilant scenes that followed victory. Amid the celebrations, Baxter danced deliriously with his players, shirtless and carefree, swept up in the emotion of a moment few outside the dressing room had believed possible. It was a glimpse of a coach who has invested every ounce of himself into rebuilding not just a rugby team, but a collective spirit.

While the Chiefs added international quality last summer through Wallabies Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper, alongside Italian internationals Stephen Varney and Andrea Zambonin, the backbone of this side remains the same group that endured the club's worst-ever Premiership campaign.

The difference has been mindset. This season Baxter stepped back into a more hands-on coaching role, demanding greater accountability from his players and removing the protective layers he felt had developed around the squad.

The result has been a team forged in resilience.

That resilience was tested to its limits against Bath. Tries from Beno Obano, Thomas du Toit, Joe Cokanasiga and Henry Arundell helped the hosts establish a commanding 26-10 lead before half-time, leaving Exeter seemingly on the ropes.

Yet Baxter never doubted the outcome.

“The first words I said at half-time were: ‘I’m really confident we’re going to win the game’,” he revealed. “I know we’re fit, I know we're resilient, and the harder they had to work, the more they were starting to flag. I just thought, ‘This is going to be our time’.”

His belief proved prophetic.

Second-half tries from Ben Hammersley, Greg Fisilau and Ethan Burger completed a stunning comeback, while Henry Slade’s boot – coupled with a stunning Christ Tshiunza score – supplied the crucial points in a one-point victory.

“I still don’t know how we’ve come up with it,” admitted Baxter. “You watch it and think, ‘How are we holding them out?’ But we’ve done it, we’re in a final.”