Champions Cup: Exeter get 'tough lessons' from Euro exit says Rob Baxter

Despite two wins over French league leaders Montpellier, Rob Baxter's side lost twice to Leinster and away at Glasgow

English champions Exeter have been taught some "tough lessons" after being knocked out of the Champions Cup, according to boss Rob Baxter.

The Chiefs were beaten 28-21 at Glasgow to finish as the worst-ranked runner-up in the pool stages.

"What we've got to take on the chin is that we just weren't good enough," Exeter director of rugby Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.

"That hurts because we had so much to fight for, but we've come up short."

Exeter have only made it out of the pool stages once in Europe's top competition, but would have taken the final place in the last eight had they got a bonus-point win at Scotstoun.

"There's a few scenarios out there that we haven't handled very well," added Baxter.

"Some of this I've got to, from a coaching perspective, take on the chin and take responsibility for, but we've had some tough lessons.

"We've got to learn the lessons and use them as part of our drive to hopefully be successful in the Premiership."

With Exeter five points clear at the top of the domestic league table, Baxter is resting much of his first-choice squad for the forthcoming Anglo-Welsh Cup matches against Worcester and Saracens.

But he had a clear message for his team for when they return from their time off against Worcester in the Premiership on 10 February.

"You've got to look like a team that's ready to take everything out of the Premiership and that's the only challenge we can lay down now," said Baxter.

"We need to lay down now that you need to look like guys who are going to rip everything you can out of the Premiership and we need to look like that week in, week out."