New Zealander Ethan Roots says he cannot wait to get his first taste of the Gallagher Premiership after sealing his move to the Exeter Chiefs.
The 25-year-old forward is Rob Baxter’s latest addition to his squad for the 2023/24 season and will join from United Rugby Championship outfit, Ospreys Rugby, this summer.
The all-action, back-rower joined the Welsh region in March 2021 from the Crusaders and has since gone on to establish himself as a physical on-field force.
The arrival of Roots will come some way to helping fill the void left by the departing Dave Ewers and Sam Simmonds, two men the newcomer admitted he has high praise for.
“Everyone knows there are some big names leaving the club, but for me that is part of the challenge, I want to try and help fill those big shoes,” said Roots.
“It’s an exciting move for me and my family and I’m looking forward to having a crack at the Premiership for the first time. Chatting with Rob, he outlined the vision for the future of the club and how he wants us as players to lay the foundations for the years to come.
“As I said, I like a challenge and I like the thought of us being underdogs with a real point to prove. Exeter are an established club, one with great history and tradition, and for me it’s a great move for me at this time in my career.”
Full list of departures:
#1. Sam Simmonds to Montpellier
Baxter has insisted there are no issues surrounding back-row forward Simmonds’ move to French champions Montpellier next season.
He is expected to be available for next year’s World Cup but after that will be ineligible to represent his country.
Saracens boss Mark McCall said on Tuesday that he believes the departure overseas of a player in his prime has wider implications for the Gallagher Premiership.
“I say that because Sam is 27, nearing his peak and is now making himself ineligible for England,” McCall said. “I kind of understand someone who is early 30s doing it after they’ve had their international career and want to experience something different. But to start losing the best young talent in the Premiership, someone like Sam, is a worry.”
Exeter rugby director Baxter, though, has adopted a philosophical stance.
“I think people sometimes get the wrong idea about this,” Baxter said. “I talk a lot to the players and staff in that you want people to be in an environment where they can thrive, work very hard, you want them to win and be successful for each other.
“The outcome of that is it means they are attractive propositions for other clubs who want a bit of that success. There are going to be some outcomes, and some of those are going to be that they are going to get big contract offers.
“It is not a negative when a player leaves you because someone wants them and can afford to pay them more than you can. It is negative when you fall out and a person moves for no positive reason at all. It’s very rare that happens here.
“Sam goes with our blessing for a great adventure, a great opportunity in France. He has still got a lot of good rugby left in him, and we had a long chat about it. He came to us first and explained. We haven’t been in massive, long, drawn-out contract debates about it. The figures are so far apart that there hasn’t really been a debate.”
#2. Luke Cowan-Dickie to Montpellier
The England international has confirmed that this will be his 12th and final year at the club after signing a deal in France, following current teammate Sam Simmonds.
He told Exeter Chiefs’ official website that “it’s gutting to be leaving” having spent his entire Premiership career at the club, and the decision to depart was not easy.
“I’ve been at the Chiefs for 12 years, and it’s all I’ve known. That said, this opportunity came up, and it was one that I had to think long and hard about,” he said.
“I spoke a lot with my family about it, and it wasn’t an easy decision to make in the end.
“Obviously, it’s a different competition, a different language – which I’ll have to learn – but I think it’s time for a change.
“Hopefully, I’ve still got plenty of years left in my career, but this is an opportunity for me to go over there and show what I am all about.”
