Italy's Varney to join Exeter from Vannes
Varney made his debut for the Azzuri in a 2020 Autumn Nations Cup clash against Scotland
- Published
Exeter Chiefs have signed Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney from the French side Vannes.
Varney will move to Sandy Park from the 2025-26 campaign having previously made 42 appearances in the Premiership for West Country club Gloucester, before leaving for France in October last year.
However, the 23-year-old has only managed seven first-team appearances in the Top 14 this season.
Speaking to the Exeter Chiefs website, external, Varney said he was "absolutely thrilled" to make the move back to the Premiership, and the Chiefs felt like "the perfect fit".
Varney, who was born in Wales but qualifies for the Azzurri through his mother, made his debut for the Azzuri in a 2020 Autumn Nations Cup clash against Scotland. He has since made 32 appearances for the national side.
The move will see him link up with Ross Vintcent, another Italian international.
Varney left for France after first-team opportunities at Gloucester dried up following the signing of Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams midway through the 2023-24 season.
Rob Baxter, Chiefs director of rugby, said Varney is "still developing".
"He's a young player who at just 23 has already played a lot of rugby," he said.
"He's still developing as a player and moving towards what will be his prime years – both physically and mentally – as he keeps playing the level of rugby he is currently playing at.
"He's got a very good set of basic, core skills around quality of kicking and passing as well as the tempo he can bring into the game.
"We've been very impressed with him in the meetings we've had, and he's a guy who is very much on the upward curve in terms of his own performance."
Prior to Varney's confirmation, Rob Baxter dismissed rumours the Chiefs new scrum-half would be Jake Gordon, after he admitted in February the Australian would "fit the bill".
"We're going to be making an announcement on the scrum-half position, and no, it won't be Jake Gordon," he said.