Latest news with #StephenVarney
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Italy scrumhalf Varney joins Exeter Chiefs
March 20 (Reuters) - Italy scrumhalf Stephen Varney has signed for Exeter Chiefs from French side Vannes ahead of next season, the English Premiership club said on Thursday. Welsh-born Varney previously made 43 Premiership appearances for Gloucester but after being out of favour this season, which saw him omitted from Italy's squad for the November internationals, he joined Vannes in October. Varney has made five Top 14 appearances at Vannes, all off the bench, and was recalled to Italy's squad for the Six Nations, where the 23-year-old started against England and came on in the final match to score a try against Ireland. "I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining Exeter Chiefs and getting back into the Premiership," Varney said in a club statement. "As soon as the opportunity came up, it just felt like the perfect fit." Varney, who has made 32 appearances for Italy since making his debut in 2020, will join another member of the antional team squad at Exeter, number eight Ross Vintcent. The Chiefs, currently second-from-bottom in the Premiership standings, appointed Rob Hunter as head coach on Wednesday to replace Ali Hepher.
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Italy's Varney to join Exeter from Vannes
Exeter Chiefs have signed Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney from the French side will move to Sandy Park from the 2025-26 campaign having previously made 42 appearances in the Premiership for West Country club Gloucester, before leaving for France in October last the 23-year-old has only managed seven first-team appearances in the Top 14 this to the Exeter Chiefs website, external, Varney said he was "absolutely thrilled" to make the move back to the Premiership, and the Chiefs felt like "the perfect fit". Varney, who was born in Wales but qualifies for the Azzurri through his mother, made his debut for the Azzuri in a 2020 Autumn Nations Cup clash against Scotland. He has since made 32 appearances for the national move will see him link up with Ross Vintcent, another Italian left for France after first-team opportunities at Gloucester dried up following the signing of Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams midway through the 2023-24 Baxter, Chiefs director of rugby, said Varney is "still developing"."He's a young player who at just 23 has already played a lot of rugby," he said."He's still developing as a player and moving towards what will be his prime years – both physically and mentally – as he keeps playing the level of rugby he is currently playing at."He's got a very good set of basic, core skills around quality of kicking and passing as well as the tempo he can bring into the game. "We've been very impressed with him in the meetings we've had, and he's a guy who is very much on the upward curve in terms of his own performance."
