Exeter name the seven players they are lending to Cornish Pirates

Rob Baxter has named the seven Exeter Chiefs players who will be dual registered with Cornish Pirates, the Championship outfit that rookie Patrick Schickerling played with last winter before returning to the Gallagher Premiership club and going on to earn an England summer tour call-up.

Four players are returning to Mennaye Field for another second-tier campaign as forwards Lewis Pearson, Cory Teague and Rus Tuima, along with back Tom Wyatt, have already played for the Pirates. They will be joined on this occasion by newcomers Matt Johnson, Max Norey and Artur Relton.

An Exeter website statement read: “Exeter Chiefs will provide seven players on dual-registered terms to RFU Championship outfit, the Cornish Pirates, for the 2022/23 season.

“The seven will all be looking to establish themselves within the first team ranks at the Cornish club, using the opportunity as a springboard to not only get valuable game time under their belts but to also press their own development for when they return to the Chiefs.

“Over the years the Pirates and Chiefs have combined superbly to help aid the development of players, bringing through the likes of Dave Ewers, Tom Hendrickson, Jack Innard, Billy Keast, Jack Nowell, Patrick Schickerling, Sam Simmonds, Harvey Skinner, Stu Townsend and Jack Yeandle.”

Exeter boss Baxter added: “We have a fantastic relationship with the Pirates and over the years we have taken the opportunity to send guys down to Penzance to not only game much-needed game time, but give them that experience of playing senior rugby at a decent level.

“For both clubs, it’s been a real ‘win-win’ and you only have to look to last season where Pat Schickerling went down there, got himself in the starting line-up, played very well before we brought him back. He featured for ourselves in the Premiership and Europe before then ending up on a summer tour to Australia with England.

“That is what we want to see from this relationship, guys going down there, working really hard and coming back to us having played a big role for the Pirates, but equally developing themselves at the same time.”