New season a chance for Exeter 'reset' - Baxter

Rob Baxter (left) brought in Dave Walder as his attack coach in the final few weeks of last season

Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter said the new Gallagher Prem season is a chance for his side to have a "reset" after last year's poor campaign.

The Chiefs finished second from bottom, winning just four matches, as they recorded the worst top-flight season in their history.

It was the fourth successive season that Exeter failed to reach the Premiership final, having reached the previous six.

Long-serving coaches Ali Hepher and Rob Hunter have left the club, while a number of high-profile signings, such as Australians Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper, have come in.

"It obviously feels different, because it is," Baxter told BBC Sport.

"We've got a different group working in the coach's office, there are some different players involved in the squad.

"We've probably a little bit of a different approach to pre-season, and we're trying some new stuff on the field, but for me it feels pretty fresh.

"The one thing I'd like to think is if I was a player and been involved in last season I couldn't wait for this season to start and get on and show what I want to be about and how I want to be seen by people around the game.

"So for us, I think it's just an opportunity for us to kind of reset where we want to be seen within the game really."

Exeter beat Bath in the Prem Rugby Cup last week

The league has been rebranded this season and there has also been some high-profile investment from Red Bull into last season's bottom-placed side Newcastle.

Former England captain Owen Farrell has returned to Saracens after a season in France, while Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit has joined Bristol Bears after his stint trying to force his way on to an NFL team in the United States.

Baxter - who is the longest-serving director of rugby in the league - said it is an exciting time for the sport domestically.

"For the first time you've really seen that big, big world brand name get involved in Prem Rugby and that's fantastic.

"There was a lot of competitive games last season. If you look at how it panned out in the end, if you win anything more than 50% of your games you're up and fighting for the top four.

"That obviously shows what a really, really competitive league it is, but that also shows why it's important for us to to get after points wherever we can.

"The other thing that let us down last season as well wasn't just the wins and losses, it was the lack of bonus points in close games.

"So we've got lots of targets this year, but the main one is to make sure that we're we're kind of enjoying what we're doing. We've got a set of supporters who enjoy watching us play, you know, and we just kind of re-establish probably a bit of what Exeter Chiefs are about really."