Brendan Gallagher column: Return to the Exeter Championship title in 2010

The last time Exeter finished second in a regular season and contested the play-offs we witnessed a master class from Rob Baxter – then a novice coach in his first year in charge – and were treated to a tantalising glimpse at possible glories ahead.
I refer, of course, to the 2009-10 season when, after a few near misses, Exeter finally hauled themselves out of the Championship by defeating Bristol in a two-legged play-off the memory of which still lingers.
Many of those involved are still present and correct at Sandy Park – Phil Dollman, Matt Jess, Gareth Steenson, Haydn Thomas, Ben Moon, Brett Sturgess, Tom Johnson – and, of course, Baxter himself. A former club captain, Baxter was completing his first season in charge after taking over from Pete Drewett who had done such a good job making Exeter competitive without quite making that final step.
Bristol were favourites – that is the cross they have to bear in all play-offs – and were pretty pleased with a narrow 9-6 away defeat in the first leg. Surely they would pull away in style back in front of their own fans at the Memorial Ground a week later?
Exeter were, to be honest, a bit subdued and their big night had gone a little flat. Not that you would have known talking to Baxter afterwards as the calmest man in rugby expressed a strangely convincing confidence that all would be well come the decider up in Bristol.
What Baxter hadn't told us then was that Exeter had positioned six separate cameras around their ground that night to film every last facet of Bristol's play. Every lineout, every setplay, every offensive pattern and every defensive set-up. Even as the groundsman was locking up, the Exeter backroom staff were downloading the footage and going to work.
When the players came in the following afternoon to rehab Exeter had a complete dossier on Bristol which enabled Baxter and his assistants Ali Hepher and Ricky Pellow to forensically pick the Bristol game plan apart. Bristol's lineout code was cracked along with their back-row moves and a major weakness in their defence of their rolling maul was also identified
Even as a debutant coach Baxter had instantly grasped that those two-legged Championship play-offs are like no other rugby matches in the calendar and that it really was only half-time. He didn't just pay lip service to that cliche, he recognised its enduring veracity.
Exeter and Baxter already has previous in this respect. The extraordinarily convoluted play-off system that season saw them play in a four team mini group – home and away – before the knock out stages proper. In that group they actually lost 20-9 at Nottingham before winning 53-10 at home and they scraped a 21-19 win at Doncaster before winning 51-15 at Sandy Park.
Baxter had already displayed a coaching maturity beyond his years ahead of the play-offs by ensuring in the New Year that every last member of his regular match day squad was contracted for the following season.
When his team ran on to the Memorial Ground for that final decider they were playing for their futures. If they could somehow pull off the win they wouldn't immediately be supplanted by some expensive signing, they would all be given the opportunity to play Premiership rugby.  That was some carrot.
And a long way out, without a trace of arrogance, Baxter had appreciated that ultimately in a seemingly never-ending season – 31 competitive matches to earn promotion – the only two that really mattered would be the final two against Bristol.
With that in mind as early as Christmas he started rotating and resting players and still the Chiefs finished 26 points ahead of third placed London Welsh in the regular season.
Even during the mini-group he was resting players and spreading the workload. All that common sense and clever planning came to fruition at Bristol just as planned when the Chiefs stunned Bristol with a commanding 29-10 victory on the night and 38-16 win on aggregate.
It was comprehensive and clinical, Bristol had been seen off in impressive fashion and Exeter had set their stall out for the future.
Sometimes you fear the worse for a side coming up from the Championship but as we sat in that ancient Portakabin that served as Bristol's Press room talking to Baxter that night there wasn't the slightest doubt Exeter would be okay. In fact they would be much better than okay. They would shine brightly.