ROB Baxter insisted Exeter’s Gallagher Premiership play-off ambitions remain very much alive, even as Storm Ingrid and Bristol Bears combined to end the Chiefs’ unbeaten home league record at Sandy Park.

In conditions that stripped the contest of beauty and ambition, the Chiefs slipped to a bruising 8–3 defeat.

Baxter, however, was defiant rather than downcast at the final whistle, saying: “We’ve done well to get in and around and be competitive where we are now. Now we’ve just got to keep getting better. That’s the challenge for me going forward – let’s just keep getting better.”

On a day when the Westcountry was battered by wind and rain, Storm Ingrid set the tone long before kick-off. What had promised a high-octane Premiership clash instead dissolved into a sodden test of survival, shaped more by the elements than by attacking intent.

The defeat was Exeter’s third of the league season and drops them to fifth, a point adrift of Leicester Tigers, while Bristol leapfrog them into third. Yet perspective matters. Having finished second from bottom last year, the Chiefs’ progress has been one of the stories of the campaign, and Baxter was keen to underline that one storm-soaked setback does not define their season.

The early stages were riddled with handling errors as the ball slipped from grasp after grasp, the gale tearing across Sandy Park and draining the match of fluency. Bristol, usually the Premiership’s entertainers-in-chief, quickly abandoned any thoughts of champagne rugby and instead matched Exeter in a grim arm-wrestle.

Clear chances were almost impossible to come by. When Bears hooker Gabriel Oghre was penalised on the edge of the 22, Henry Slade produced one of the few moments of precision, guiding a penalty through the wind to edge Exeter ahead.

Gradually, though, Bristol learned how to survive the storm better than their hosts. A spiralling kick from Tom Jordan caused chaos late in the half, earning the visitors a close-range scrum. After probing both sides, the Bears struck against the breeze, Noah Heward finishing in the right corner to swing momentum before the break.

Bears coach Pat Lam later revealed he had anticipated exactly this kind of contest. “Steve Lansdown [Bristol’s owner] sent me a message today,” Lam said. “I went back to him and said: ‘It’s not gonna be pretty, but we’re gonna fight for everything.’ That’s exactly what we did.”

The second half followed the same punishing pattern. The Chiefs launched wave after wave of pick-and-go pressure at the Bristol line, a familiar Baxter blueprint, though one missing the destructive heft of former enforcers like Ben Moon, Mitch Lees, Thomas Waldrom and Dave Ewers. The Chiefs huffed and puffed, but Bristol’s defence held firm, soaking up pressure with discipline.

Errors continued to sweep through the contest like fresh squalls, and as time ticked away, Exeter’s lack of attacking clarity became more pronounced. With the clock almost spent, Bristol landed the decisive blow, James Williams steering over a late score to secure a priceless away win.

For Exeter, the focus now shifts forward. They will not return to league action until 21 March 21, before a demanding run including Sale at home, a trip to Newcastle and a clash with champions Northampton, follow a European Challenge Cup knockout against Munster.

“We’ve got some important games when we get back,” Baxter said. “If we do well, everything’s back on. We’re not by any means out of this season – we’ll be scrapping to the death.”