Gallagher PREM 2026/27 squads rated: Exeter Chiefs

Exeter Chiefs will have surprised themselves last season, reaching a PREM final and a Prem Rugby Cup final, even though they lost both, as well as a Challenge Cup semi-final, but now the pressure is really on Rob Baxter, especially after the club was taken over by AFC Bournemouth owner Bill Foley.

Baxter lifted the club out of their recent slump and now has the funds to compete for the best players when they become available, which could usher in another trophy-laden era.

Dallas McLeod is the biggest name to arrive as the investment came too late in the summer to allow Baxter to fully use the resources that are now at his disposal, but Chiefs fans will have every reason to feel confident they will be there or thereabouts again this season.

Full Back: Tom Burton, Ben Hammersley, Tommy Wyatt
Olly Woodburn was the Chiefs’ first-choice full back last season and did superbly well in an unfamiliar position when Baxter suffered an injury crisis, but will he start this season, or will it be the fit-again Tommy Wyatt, who missed the whole of last season with a knee ligament injury but is at a crossroads in the final year of his contract and is a cracking player when fully fit? Meanwhile Ben Hammersley offers versatility across the back line. 6/10

Wing: Paul Brown-Bampoe, Noah Fenton, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Campbell Ridl, Olly Woodburn
The Chiefs wingers will be the envy of most clubs in the PREM. Manny Feyi-Waboso is a player who, when he gets the ball, generates genuine excitement. Campbell Ridl, who scored 17 tries in all competitions, will be even better with a season under his belt, which is a frightening prospect. Paul Brown-Bampoe, tipped for international honours, is also a huge threat and Woodburn can play out wide if needed. 8/10

Centre: Nic Allison, Ollie Batson, Will Butt, Nick Lilley, Dallas McLeod, Henry Slade, Zack Wimbush
Henry Slade could count himself unlucky not to have won the PREM Player of the Season award last season after a consistently brilliant campaign, but his partnership with the now-departed Len Ikitau has been broken up. Baxter has signed one-cap All Black Dallas McLeod to replace him, so they will have to connect quickly when the Kiwi touches down, while Will Butt arrives from Bath, and Nick Lilley and Zack Wimbush have youth X-factor. 7/10

Scrum half: Tom Cairns, Jake Murray, George Newman, Stephen Varney, Sam Wolstenholme
Gloucester fans will have watched Stephen Varney in action for Exeter last season and wondered whether they were watching the same player. Given regular game time and backed by Baxter, he responded in kind. But the biggest problem was the lack of quality beneath him. Sam Wolstenholme and Jake Murray have come in from Bristol and Harlequins to attempt to redress that, and Tom Cairns is still at the club. 7/10

Fly-half: Harvey Skinner, Will Haydon-Wood, Sam Harris, Ben Coen
An area where Exeter lack a big name, but Harvey Skinner is a player who won’t win international honours, but he will help win you games and has largely silenced his terrace critics over the last year. Sam Harris needed a fresh start and arrives from Bath to challenge Will Haydon-Wood to be his number two. Ben Coen is a player many feel could reach the very top but needs to start showing that potential. 6/10

Loosehead: Nika Abuladze, Ethan Burger, Will Goodrick-Clarke, Archie McArthur, Josh Mann
Baxter suffered a blow when first-choice Scott Sio left for Cardiff in the summer, and the race is on to replace him. But they have brought back Nika Abuladze, who is a very powerful scrummager and made the Chiefs’ set piece very dominant before leaving for France. Baxter also has decent options in Ethan Burger, who has come on in leaps and bounds in the last year, and Will Goodrick-Clarke. While Archie McArthur has come in from Gloucester to add some more strength in depth. 7/10

Hooker: Joseph Dweba, Louie Gulley, Julian Heaven, Max Norey, Jack Yeandle
A position where nobody has really established themselves as first choice. Former Springbok Joseph Dweba started 12 of his first 15 appearances but then ended up playing second fiddle to Max Norey after the Prem Rugby Cup Final defeat to Leicester Tigers. Norey was the surprise of the season, taking full advantage of a season-ending injury to the evergreen Jack Yeandle. Julian Heaven has got a point to prove after finding his chances limited outside of the Prem Cup. Former England under-20 international Louie Gulley is waiting in the wings. 6/10

Tighthead: Isaac Godfrey, Josh Iosefa-Scott, Ehren Painter, Jimmy Roots, Bachuki Tchumbadze
Josh Iosefa-Scott was their first choice in the PREM last season, starting 13 of their 18 games despite time on the sidelines due to injury. The signing of Abuladze raises the prospect of an all-Georgian front row with Bachuki Tchumbadze, who starts his second season at Sandy Park. Jimmy Roots, who is willing to roll up his sleeves, while Ehren Painter will have a point to prove after 15 months on the sideline with a serious injury. 7/10

Lock: Joe Bailey, Oscar Beckerleg, Luke Evans, Marlon Farouk-Roy, Dafydd Jenkins, Obinna Nkwocha, Lewis Pearson, Harry Wilson, Andrea Zambonin
A very strong area for the Chiefs led by international stars Dafydd Jenkins and line-out king Andrea Zambonin, who was outstanding in his first season in the PREM. Workhorse Harry Wilson has been brought in from Saracens and should become a popular addition to the squad. Long-serving Lewis Pearson has been tipped to become a front-line player by Baxter if he continues his rapid rate of improvement, while former England under-20 internationals Joe Bailey and Oscar Beckerleg add depth. 8/10

Back Row: Richard Capstick, Greg Fisilau, Tom Hooper, Kane James, Ethan Roots, Ross Vintcent, Finn Worley-Brady
Another area that Baxter has stacks of talent in with Tom Hooper, Ross Vintcent, Ethan Roots, and Kane James, who is yet to start a game in the PREM, all full internationals, and it’s likely to be only a matter of time before Greg Fisilau joins them. Richard Capstick missed a large part of last season, and Finn Worley-Brady will be on bolstering duty during international windows. 8/10

Overall ratings: 70/100

Transfers
In: Nika Abuladze, Archie McArthur, Harry Wilson, Obinna Nkwocha, Sam Wolstenholme, Sam Harris, Dallas McLeod, Will Butt, Jake Murray

Out: Harry Ascherl, Will Becconsall, Alfie Bell, Kwenzo Blose, Charlie Chapman, Jack Forsythe, Kian Gentry, Len Ikitau, Orson James, Iwan Jenkins, Dan John, Martin Moloney, Khwezi Mona, Sol Moody, Will Rigg, Louie Sinclair, Scott Sio, Christ Tshiunza, Tamati Tua, Rusi Tuima