Exeter went on to win six of their next seven league games – form that kept them in and around the play-off picture all season.
Their visit to Bath is their first-ever away semi-final in the top flight, having made six consecutive finals between 2016 and 2021.
They won the title twice – in 2017 and 2020 – the latter coming as their dominant side were crowned European champions in the same season.
But as the financial cost of the Covid-19 pandemic bit and Exeter’s all-conquering side broke up ‘Exeter 2.0’, as the new side was dubbed, struggled.
They had three consecutive seventh-placed finishes before last season’s poor campaign.
And while they brought in a host of new players such as Len Ikitau, Varney, Tom Hooper and Andrea Zambonin, Baxter was aware that they alone were not going to be the answer.
“I knew we needed the pre-season, the things we could set up in pre-season,” he said.
“I knew we had some good players coming in to join the side who would help us, and so I knew we’d be better.
“But obviously it’s very pleasing to have got to the stage where we’re in the top four.”
And now, having arguably overachieved on expectations before a ball was kicked, Baxter knows his side have high hopes.
Having beaten rivals Saracens to clinch a top four place at the weekend, they hope to right the wrongs of an away defeat earlier in the season when they return to The Rec.
“It’s like everything in sport, if we’d have lost last week to Saracens and dropped out of the top four, we’d have still had a much improved season and a decent season by most people’s overall aim or thought process,” Baxter added.
“But it would have been really, really disappointing to have got to that stage then lost a home game.
“Now we’re in the top four, again people are going ‘Exeter have had a good season’, but now it’s going to be really disappointing if we lose a semi.
“That’s just sport, how it is. It’ll almost feel like a disappointing end to the season and yet we’ve had a really good season.”
