Premiership club confirms signing of Stormers prop Kwenzo Blose

Rob Baxter has followed up Tuesday’s confirmation that Exeter have signed midfielder Tamati Tua from the Super Rugby Pacific Brumbies by revealing that the Chiefs have also recruited ex-Stormers prop Kwenzo Blose ahead of the new 2024/25 season in England.

Blose was on the 15-strong list of end-of-season leavers unveiled by the John Dobson-coached URC franchise in June and having since trained with Exeter, the Premiership club have now rubber stamped his signing on an unspecified length deal.

A statement read: “Exeter Chiefs have signed loosehead prop Kwenzo Blose to add depth to the forward pack ahead of the 2024/25 season. The nimble front rower, who is a former South African U20, moves to the northern nemisphere from United Rugby Championship side, DHL Stormers.

“Born in Paulpietersburg, the 27-year-old, who gained seven Junior Boks caps, made his professional debut for Cape Town-based Western Province in 2018. He made 41 appearances and has played 18 times for the Stormers in the URC.”

Baxter said: “People will be aware that over the last couple of seasons we have 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 back-up 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 have had to go into the market to strengthen our crop of props.

“We are 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 is with us now, he has settled in well. He arrived with a slight neck strain, but we have 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.”

Blose added: “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.”