CONFIRMED: Stormer to boost Exeter Chiefs pack

TRANSFER NEWS: The Premiership club Exeter Chiefs have finally confirmed the signing of Stormers prop Kwenzo Blose ahead of the 2024/25 season.

The loosehead prop was one of 15 players released by the United Rugby Championship franchise Stormers in June.

At the time, Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson told @rugby365com that Blose had been handed a "life-changing opportunity with a big club like Exeter."

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Blose has been training with the Exeter Chiefs and is settling nicely into Devon.

The former South African Under 20 revealed he is excited to add value to the Chiefs shirt and take to the field with his new teammates.

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“I’m really excited to join the Chiefs and I’m looking forward to contributing as much as I can to the club’s success.

“A club with huge ambitions, a loyal fan base and a rich history. I hope to add as much value as I can, and I can’t wait for the season to get underway.”

The 27-year-old made his professional debut for Cape Town-based Western Province in 2018.

Having made 41 appearances for them, Blose made the switch to the Uniter Rugby Championship with Stormers. Since then, he has made 18 appearances for the South African branch of the competition which includes Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Italian competition.

Blose has also made his mark on the age-grade international stage, gaining seven caps for the Junior Springboks.

Exeter Chiefs Director of Rugby Rob Baxter is intrigued to see what the experienced prop can bring to the first-team pack.

“People will be aware that over the last couple of seasons, we’ve lost a lot of experience at loosehead with guys like Alec Hepburn and Ben Moon either leaving or retiring. We were delighted with how durable Scott Sio was and how many games he played for us last season.

“We thought we had some backup lined up with Nika Abuladze, but he was very fortunate to receive a fantastic offer from Montpellier and one which worked for him and his family, so we were happy to make that work. However, that did mean that we’ve had to go into the market to strengthen our crop of props.

“We’re delighted to have gotten hold of Will Goodrick-Clarke – who is training fantastically well – but we still looked for some more experience to back up those two senior players. So, as soon as we saw someone like Kwenzo becoming available, we had a call with him and watched him play plenty of rugby.

“As he’s with us now, he’s settled in well. He arrived with a slight neck strain, but we’ve progressed through that to have him in full training, doing live scrums with us now. He promises to be an exciting, strong and very important member of our squad going forward.”