Italy's Varney to join Exeter from Vannes
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, 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.
| 1d 8:53 AM ET ago |
Topics
-
England 47-24 Italy: Six Nations 2025 – live reaction
Rugby union updates from Twickenham (3pm GMT) Get in touch! Email Daniel with your thoughts They’ve gone 60 metres in a flash! After Varney was isolated and spilled in contact, England were ...The Guardian - Mar. 9 -
Exeter captain Sweeney out for rest of season
Exeter City captain Pierce Sweeney is ruled out for the rest of the season as he requires surgery on a long-standing hip problem.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Ireland eye unlikely Six Nations title against uncertain Italy
Ireland have a glimmer of hope that they can retain their Six Nations crown on Saturday when they take on Italy in Rome, looking to bounce back from a painful defeat to title favourites France.But ...Yahoo Sports - Mar. 14 -
Northampton sign Zimbabwe prop Kundiona
Northampton Saints sign Zimbabwe prop Cleopas Kundiona from French Pro D2 side USON Nevers for the 2025-26 season.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Which Serie A side has the most players in the latest Italy squad?
Luciano Spalletti’s former side Napoli have five representatives in the latest Italy national team squad for the Nations League quarter-finals against Germany coming up in March, which means that ...Yahoo Sports - Mar. 14 -
From Italy: AC Milan landed blow in pursuit of permanent deal for €5M-rated Manchester City defender
AC Milan will seek a discount on Manchester City’s €5 million asking price to sanction a permanent exit for Kyle Walker in the summer, as per a report from Italy.Walker joined AC Milan in January ...Yahoo Sports - 16h -
'England had Italy on the ropes but didn't recreate French demolition job'
In his BBC Sport column, World Cup winner Matt Dawson reflects on England's thumping Six Nations victory over Italy, and assesses the final-day title race.BBC News - Mar. 10 -
Steelers signing Darius Slay: Former Pro Bowl CB joining Pittsburgh after departure from Eagles, per report
Slay is moving to the other side of the stateCBS Sports - Mar. 12 -
Vote here for Seacoast boys, girls Athletes of the Week March 10-16
Vote for Seacoast high school girls and boys Athletes of the Week. Nominees are from Oyster River, Exeter and St. Thomas AquinasYahoo Sports - 4d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
No March Madness here: No. 1 seed Florida rolls past Norfolk State 95-69 for 7th straight win
First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points and Florida defeated Norfolk State 95-69 on Friday, ensuring all four No. 1 seeds made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament ...Yahoo Sports - 41m -
Who is Jase Richardson? Michigan State star’s dad won title in March Madness
Jase Richardson. whose dad is Jason Richardson, is the second-leading scorer as a freshman for Michigan State basketball entering NCAA March Madness.Yahoo Sports - 49m -
March Madness women's perfect bracket tracker: Only 7.6% of perfect brackets remain after 12 games
More than 90% of brackets had been busted by Friday night despite a pretty straightforward opening day of the women's NCAA tournament.Yahoo Sports - 49m -
Maryland coach Kevin Willard says there's 'no situation" between him, Damon Evans
Maryland coach Kevin Willard said Friday there's "no situation" between him and athletic director Damon Evans after Evans' departure for SMU:Yahoo Sports - 50m -
March Madness 2025: Viewership for first day of NCAA men's tournament reaches all-time high
Thursday didn't feature many big upsets but it still drew viewers.Yahoo Sports - 51m
More in Sports
-
Disgruntled Poch: Wearing U.S. shirt 'not enough'
Mauricio Pochettino was left visibly frustrated after the USMNT's shocking 1-0 defeat to Panama in the Concacaf Nations League, bluntly telling his players it was not enough to just simply show up ...ESPN - 41m -
Højlund: Wasn't mocking 'idol' Ronaldo with 'Siu'
Rasmus Højlund said he was not trying to mock Cristiano Ronaldo after hitting the Portuguese star's famed 'Siu' celebration after scoring the winner for Denmark against Portugal in Copenhagen on ...ESPN - 41m -
'You're my idol': Henry joins Panama celebrations
Panama's Cecilio Waterman celebrated one of the biggest goals in his country's history, to defeat the USMNT, with his idol Thierry Henry.ESPN - 41m -
Wood carded for signing autographs in NZ win
Chris Wood picked up a yellow card for signing autographs and taking pictures with fans during New Zealand's win over Fiji in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday.ESPN - 41m -
Alisson set for Liverpool return after concussion
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has withdrawn from the Brazil squad after sustaining a concussion during Thursday's World Cup qualifier with Colombia.ESPN - 41m