Exeter sign two new forwards ahead of the 2021/22 season

Exeter Chiefs have bolstered their pack ahead of the new season adding prop Sam Nixon and Lock Ryan McCauley.

Tighthead prop joins from French Top 14 side Bayonne while McCauley has joined on a short-term deal from the Western Force.

Sam Nixon, 24, returns to the Gallagher Premiership after a season in France, where he featured prominently for Bayonne in the Top 14. Before that, the Dorchester-born tight-head was part and parcel of Bath’s squad, where he ran out for them in the Premiership, Heineken Champions Cup, as well as the Premiership Rugby Cup.

Aussie lock Ryan McCauley stands 6ft 8in tall and weighs 18 stone. He will provide a quality option up front for Exeter Director of Rugby, Rob Baxter, ahead of the new 2021/22 season. McCauley arrived in Devon on Thursday following a lengthy flight from Perth and was quickly shown around Sandy Park.

McCauley played NRC with New South Wales regional side Country Eagles, before he was snapped up by the Waratahs. He would spent four years with them before moving to Western Australia and joining the Force, where he featured 14 times last season.