Exeter Chiefs confirm signing of Italy star Stephen Varney

Exeter Chiefs have confirmed that Rob Baxter has ended his long search for a new scrum-half by recruiting Italian international Stephen Varney, who will join the squad ahead of next season.

RugbyPass exclusively revealed on Wednesday that the Chiefs were signing former Gloucester star Varney, 23, after seeing moves for Jake Gordon, Raffi Quirke, and Ben White fall through.

Varney made 42 Premiership appearances for Gloucester and joins the Chiefs from French Top 14 outfit Vannes, where he moved on a short-term injury joker deal last October.

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“I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Exeter Chiefs and getting back into the Premiership. The club has a fantastic history and an incredible fanbase.

“As soon as the opportunity came up, it just felt like the perfect fit. I can’t wait to get started and give my all for the team,” said Varney, who will join Azzurri teammate Ross Vintcent at Sandy Park.

Chiefs boss Rob Baxter admitted he has been impressed with Varney’s attitude during the meetings they held while finalizing the deal.

“We’re really pleased to have Stephen becoming a Chief next season. He’s a young player who, at just 23, has already played a lot of rugby.

“He’s still developing and moving towards what will be his prime years, both physically and mentally, as he keeps playing at this level.

“He’s got a very good set of core skills around kicking and passing, as well as the tempo he can bring to the game. We’ve invested time and effort in the spine of the team to ensure we have high-quality players in key positions for the coming seasons.

“We’re looking forward to having Stephen on board. We’ve been very impressed with him in our meetings. He’s on an upward curve in terms of his performances, and he will help us achieve what we want going forward,” said Baxter.