Welsh stars full of admiration for Baxter's accomplishments

Both clubs might be on five-match winless runs in the Aviva Premiership, but two of the stars of London Welsh admit they have nothing but admiration for Exeter Chiefs.

Exiles skipper Jon Mills and experienced hooker Neil Briggs couldn't be more complimentary about the way Rob Baxter's boys have established themselves as a force in the top flight over the past three years.

But despite using the Westcountry outfit as their template for survival, all that warmth will go out the window on Saturday when the sides clash at Sandy Park.

"It will be great to stay in the Premiership so the club can build and do very similar to what Exeter did," said Mills.

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"First year if you can stay up it's a great season and you can build upon it and make yourself stronger for the year later. It's very important for ourselves to stay up and make the Aviva Premiership our home. You've got to aim for Exeter, applaud what they done. They consolidated then next year got European rugby.

"The way they have done it is a template for any club looking to come into the Premiership and stay there."

Both Mills and Briggs were in the side when Ed Jackson's late try against the Chiefs gave Welsh their first win in the top flight, beating Exeter 25-24 in September.

The Exiles have gone on to claim three more wins, but are still only three points above bottom club Sale.

Victory at Exeter – where the Exiles have not won since 2000 – would go a long way to securing their top-flight status for another season and that's what former Sharks ace Briggs is hoping for.

"Exeter are the model London Welsh have worked off," insisted Briggs. "Looking at the way Rob Baxter has built a squad, getting people in who are going to buy into the mentality.

"They might not be the massive world beaters but they do what it takes to come away and get a win for their club."

Aviva are proud to be title sponsor of Aviva Premiership Rugby – one of the world's leading rugby union competitions. Each season will feature 135 games, which will be watched by 1.7m people live at the grounds and many more through our broadcast partners Sky, ITV and ESPN.