TRANSFER | Exeter Chiefs sign 'very talented' fly-half

The playmaker has agreed an initial one-year deal with the current Gallagher Premiership leaders, arriving in the Westcountry from Australia where he has been playing his club rugby at Manly Marlins.

Welcoming the 20-year-old on board, Chiefs’ Director of Rugby, Rob Baxter, said: “He is one of those guys who has ended up here probably on the flip side of what was going on with COVID-19. We were looking at seeing what options were around and what would fit in and Jack came up. Although he’s been based in Australia for a while, he’s EQP [English qualified player] and he was playing club rugby and age group rugby over there.

“You watch him and you can see there is something there about him. There’s a bit of spark, there is something special and initially we started to think of him as someone who could come into our squad for the 2020/21 season, but actually things progressed away from us a little bit because things developed for Jack in Australia, moving into the Waratahs Academy and offers from them.

“Then what happened with COVID, those options moved away from him, so effectively he was someone who was on the market, went off the market, then came back on the market again! We have relooked at things and he is very much jumped an opportunity to come, initially for one year, to see how things go, see how he settles in and we get to have a good look at him.

“In some ways it’s almost like an extended trial period for him. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for him and a fantastic opportunity for us. To get a young EQP player over here, one with bags of talent, is great. Now, let’s see what kind of rugby he can play.”

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The former Wales star settled into his new life as the pub landlord of The Fox in St Brides Major, in Wales earlier this year. He explained the change had fallen into place well as his vision of running a pub had coincided with the end of him playing rugby.

The England and Exeter Chiefs winger is the co-owner of The Swordfish Inn back in his hometown of Cornwall. Sitting on the harbourfront, the pub has been a favourite of local fishermen, artists and visitors alike for as long as anyone cares to remember and is well-known for its rugged charm and atmosphere.

The exchequer on Exchequer Street counts as one of its owners the Ireland legend. The bar is, similarly to Lemon and Duke, on the upmarket end of the spectrum when it comes to the food and drink they serve.

The Bridge pub in Ballsbridge is part owned by several current and previous Irish rugby internationals, including Jamie Heaslip, Sean O’Brien, Dave and Rob Kearney. While you might not catch them behind the bar too much, the four are frequent visitors to their pub that they co-own with publican Noel Anderson.

The Stand-Off, which is owned by the Exeter legend, will opened its doors at Portland House, Longbrook Street, after a major refurb in 2018. Steeno teamed up with Carl Rimmer, one of his former Exeter Chiefs playing colleagues, and recruited former Woodbury Park manager Joe Hammond to oversee the project.