Ignacio Mieres scored 282 points for Exeter Chiefs on their way to a fifth place finish that secured Heineken Cup rugby © Getty Images

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Exeter Chiefs' fly-half Iganacio Mieres believes it is up to all the club's players to help maintain the progress that the south-west club made in the last Premiership campaign.

The Chiefs' finished fifth and reached the Heineken Cup for the first time in their history last season and the Argentine playmaker was crucial to their success. The 25-year-old weighed in with 282 points with the boot and is already back at work to ensure he is still head coach Rob Baxter's first choice in the 10 jersey.

"Everybody knows we have a big year ahead of us," said Mieres. "We will have a little bit more pressure than last year and we know the Heineken Cup is the top tournament in Europe. That is why every day the guys are in here training hard because we know we have a lot of big challenges ahead of us.

"It's the same every year, everybody wants to play and I'm no different. Last season was good for me, but now we all start at zero and it's up to all of us to go and show the coaches what we can do. This year, I want to stay there and be even better, but I know I will have to train and play well."

Over the close season Mieres added two more Argentina caps to take his total to six. He played in home wins over Italy and France and as well as catching up with family and friends in his homeland, his Test appearances meant that he had the chance to learn close up from one of Argentina's greatest ever players.

"I got the chance to play two matches and it was a great experience and I got to learn so much," Mieres said. "Luckily we won both games and I played well enough. The French game, especially, was special because they had a great side out and nobody expected us to probably win that game. Also playing next to Felipe [Contepomi] was great because he is such a good player and I learnt a lot from him both inside and outside of the field."