Exeter manager Rob Baxter said he still sees Saracens as his side’s biggest rivals when Chiefs travel to the StoneX Stadium on Sunday.
Exeter lost three Premiership finals to the London side between 2016 and 2019. This was shortly before Saracens were found to be in breach of Premiership salary cap rules.
Despite being relegated for a season due to offense and many players from both teams moving on, Baxter said the game (15:00 BST) was a big one for his side.
“If you were to say, ‘Is there still competition?’ I would say 100% yes.” Baxter told BBC Sport.
“If you asked Saracens, ‘Do you want to beat Exeter this weekend?’ they would probably say, ‘It’s no different from any other Premiership game.’
“But that’s the reality. I think so and I think our players think that too.”
Exeter have reached six successive Premiership finals between 2016 and 2021, but have been unable to match Mark McCall’s side as they lifted the title by beating Wasps in 2017 and 2020.
Many question what the Sandy Park team would have been like had Saracens not been able to adhere to the salary cap at the time and field such a strong team.
“Is there a team we would rather beat than Saracens? Probably not,” added Baxter.
“Saracens might not think so. It’s entirely up to them. For us, it would be a fantastic result to go to Saracens and win, not just because of their past history but because they are at the top of the Premiership. Obviously. “I think he’s playing really well.”
