Sky is the limit for Exeter Chiefs - Gareth Steenson

Exeter Chiefs captain Gareth Steenson is confident of his team reaching new heights in the upcoming seasons despite losing the Aviva Premiership final to Saracens 28-20 at the Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

Finishing second in the group stage behind Saracens, Exeter went on to reach their maiden Premiership final after defeating Wasps 34-23 in the play-off.

Despite lagging the first half 23-6, Exeter made a remarkable comeback in the second half with tries from replacement Jack Yeandle and winger Jack Nowell which were successfully converted by Steenson.

With six minutes remaining in the game, Saracens had a slender lead of three points as the defending champions were pushed to limits by an aggressive Exeter side.

However, man of the match Alex Goode scored the decisive try for Saracens taking the game away from Exeter as Mark McCall's men completed a 28-20 victory.

Even in the European Champions Cup this season, Exeter managed to reach the quarter-finals where they were edged out by Wasps 25-24 at the Ricoh Arena.

Steenson was satisfied with the fight showed by his team and believes they can only get better with more experience under their belt.

"The sky is the limit for this club, and I do genuinely believe that," Exeter skipper Steenson told Press Association Sport.

"It has been our best season by a long way in the Premiership, and it just shows with the squad we are putting together.

"People want to come to the club, and you can see with the support we get, it's a great place to be.

"It is another step on the ladder. There were a lot of young players out there on Saturday who are going to be better for the experience.

"The final was never going to be the be-all and end-all for us. We always talk about being better, and there is no way we are not going to be better for this experience.

"We have jumped forward in Europe, and we have got ourselves a bit further along in the Premiership as well.

"It hasn't been something that has happened overnight. It has always been a steady increase. We have taken the right steps at the right time."

Saracens have been the in-form team this year as they earlier completed a marvelous European Champions Cup victory defeating Racing 92 in the final. However, they were put under pressure by Exeter in the second half where they outscored Saracens 14-5.

Steenson was pleased with the character shown by Exeter in the second half and credited Saracens for holding their nerve in a tight finish.

"We didn't change anything at half-time - we said we would stick with it," Steenson added. "We just got more territory and held on to the ball more.

"We couldn't put two or three phases together in the first half, but when we did in the second half, we showed we are a hard side to handle.

"We rolled them a little bit, but credit to them, they put the squeeze on us at the end. When a side has a big lead, it is always tough chasing the game. They are a champion team.

"We are disappointed, but when we reflect, we are going to be all right for this experience. We will come back in a few weeks' time and we will reflect and say it was a good season.

"Now, we can say to ourselves there is something tangible from where we can go and be better."

The one stand-out player that stood out from both the teams was England international Nowell, who scored Exeter's second try in the game and now will be part of the national squad for the three-Test Australian tour. Steenson believes Nowell is among the top wingers in the world.

"Jack was magnificent," Steenson said.

"Defensively, his covering, his work-rate, his try - he was outstanding. He would be right up there as one of the best wings in the world at the minute.

"It's a great credit to him that he is getting himself on the plane, as are a lot of our other players, although we are probably a couple of guys short in my opinion, which is a little disappointing."