Exeter Chiefs enter 2026-27 in a much more interesting position than they occupied a year ago. The rebuild is no longer theoretical.
After finishing ninth in 2024-25, Exeter surged to third in the PREM, beat defending champion Bath away in the semifinal and reached the final before losing 26-17 to Northampton. They also reached the PREM Rugby Cup final and Challenge Cup semifinal.
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Now comes the test that makes this season worth following. Rob Baxter has a young core that suddenly looks capable of becoming his next championship generation, but Exeter must handle major departures, Champions Cup rugby and growing international demands.
Here are three reasons the Chiefs should be appointment viewing.
Exeter Have Become Rugby’s Comeback Specialists
There are teams you watch because they score spectacular tries. Exeter gave fans another reason last season: their matches refused to end when they were supposed to.
The tone was established in the opening round at Northampton. Exeter trailed 33-7 at halftime against the eventual champions. Instead of disappearing, they erased the entire 26-point deficit and drew 33-33. That comeback became a foundational moment for a squad coming off a ninth-place season.
Then came the playoff semifinal at Bath.
Exeter were down 26-10 at halftime against the defending champions at the Recreation Ground. They scored the next 17 points, took the lead through a driven-lineout score and then survived more than 40 Bath phases after time expired, eventually holding the final carrier up over the line to win 27-26.
Those were not isolated escapes. Baxter described Exeter as “ultra-competitive” after a regular season in which they collected at least one table point from every PREM match.
That quality gives Exeter games unusual tension. A deficit does not necessarily change how they see themselves or how aggressively they compete. The 2026-27 challenge is to become more precise so they do not constantly require rescue missions. But until that happens, turning off an Exeter match early is risky.
Baxter’s Next Generation Is Growing Up Fast
The most compelling Exeter story is bigger than one star. Baxter may have assembled the spine of another championship-caliber generation.
Captain Dafydd Jenkins and No. 8 Greg Fisilau are 23. Campbell Ridl and Kane James are 21. Tom Hooper is 25. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is already an established England weapon in his early 20s, while Andrea Zambonin became a PREM Team of the Season lock alongside Hooper.
These are not prospects being protected from meaningful rugby. They drove a team to the final.
Fisilau established himself at No. 8 and pushed into England’s senior squad. Jenkins captained Exeter at Twickenham. James earned his first Wales cap during the 2026 Nations Championship after making 18 Exeter appearances during his breakout club campaign.
And then there are the wings.
Feyi-Waboso gives Exeter acceleration and power capable of turning poor possession into a scoring opportunity. Ridl, a 6-foot-5 England U20 wing, went from senior newcomer to PREM-final starter and finished 2025-26 with a club-best 17 tries across all competitions.
The fascination is watching what happens next. Opponents now have an offseason of film on Ridl. More Chiefs are becoming internationals. Expectations have changed dramatically. Exeter are discovering whether young players who surprised the league can become players who control it.
Sandy Park Is Hosting Big-Time Rugby Again
For Exeter supporters, the schedule itself tells the story of how quickly the club has returned.
Sandy Park celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026. Exeter moved there in 2006 as a second-tier club with ambitions of climbing English rugby. Two decades later, the Chiefs enter the anniversary season as PREM runners-up and are returning to the Champions Cup.
Home was already their greatest weapon last season. Exeter went 7-0-2 in regular-season PREM matches at Sandy Park and outscored opponents 263-118 there, a plus-145 differential. Approximately 94% of their overall regular-season points differential was created at home.
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Now the caliber of visitor rises.
Connacht and La Rochelle come to Sandy Park in the Champions Cup, while Exeter also face Toulouse away and the Lions at Ellis Park. Domestically, Northampton’s eventual visit brings a rematch of the PREM final, and Bath arrives during a demanding run-in.
There is organizational change behind the rugby, too. Black Knight Rugby bought Exeter Rugby Group in June, giving a club that endured serious post-Covid financial constraints new capacity to move toward spending up to the salary cap and invest in performance infrastructure.
That makes 2026-27 feel less like the continuation of a rebuild and more like the beginning of Exeter’s next test. The young Chiefs have restored consequential rugby to Sandy Park. Now fans get to discover whether they are ready to turn one remarkable comeback season into another era of contention. For fans, that makes Exeter one of the PREM’s most revealing teams to watch.
Exeter Chiefs 2026-27 Frequently Asked Questions
How Can Rugby Fans In The United States Watch Exeter Chiefs On FloRugby?
Rugby fans in the United States can follow Exeter Chiefs during the 2026-27 season on FloRugby, with matches also available to stream through the FloSports app.
Exeter Chiefs 2026-27 PREM And Champions Cup Schedule: Every Match
Gallagher PREM
- Round 1: Exeter Chiefs vs. Gloucester, Sept. 26, 2026
- Round 2: Bath Rugby vs. Exeter Chiefs, Oct. 2, 2026
- Round 3: Bristol Bears vs. Exeter Chiefs, Oct. 10, 2026
- Round 4: Exeter Chiefs vs. Newcastle Red Bulls, Oct. 24, 2026
- Round 5: Exeter Chiefs vs. Sale Sharks, Oct. 31, 2026
- Round 6: Harlequins vs. Exeter Chiefs, Dec. 5, 2026
- Round 7: Exeter Chiefs vs. Saracens, Dec. 19, 2026
- Round 8: Leicester Tigers vs. Exeter Chiefs, Jan. 2, 2027
- Round 9: Exeter Chiefs vs. Northampton Saints, Jan. 23, 2027
- Round 10: Sale Sharks vs. Exeter Chiefs, Jan. 30, 2027
- Round 11: Exeter Chiefs vs. Harlequins, Feb. 20, 2027
- Round 12: Newcastle Red Bulls vs. Exeter Chiefs, Feb. 27, 2027
- Round 13: Exeter Chiefs vs. Bristol Bears, March 20, 2027
- Round 14: Northampton Saints vs. Exeter Chiefs, March 27, 2027
- Round 15: Exeter Chiefs vs. Bath Rugby, April 17, 2027
- Round 16: Saracens vs. Exeter Chiefs, April 24, 2027
- Round 17: Exeter Chiefs vs. Leicester Tigers, May 8, 2027
- Round 18: Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs, May 15, 2027
Investec Champions Cup
- Round 1: Toulouse vs. Exeter Chiefs, Oct. 18, 2026
- Round 2: Exeter Chiefs vs. Connacht, Dec. 13, 2026
- Round 3: Exeter Chiefs vs. La Rochelle, Jan. 9, 2027
- Round 4: Lions vs. Exeter Chiefs, Jan. 16, 2027