'Why I have been looking at the market': Baxter explains Sio deal

Exeter boss Rob Baxter has explained what convinced him to sign seasoned Wallabies front-rower Scott Sio. The expectation was that the 30-year-old loosehead would stay on at an Australian Super Rugby Pacific franchise in the run-up to the 2023 World Cup in France, but the Chiefs dispelled that notion by snapping up the forward on an unspecified length long-term deal.

Sio, who turns 31 in October, packed down twice last month versus England and he was recalled on Thursday to the Wallabies squad to take on the Springboks later in August having missed the recent two-game trip to Argentina through injury.

Baxter had let it be known in recent weeks that Exeter were still in the market for a loosehead for the upcoming 2022/23 season, but speculation linking them to Sio was thin on the ground until the signing was confirmed on Wednesday.

The long-serving director of rugby has since spoken about why he chased down Sio, explaining why he thinks the Brumbies prop - who has 71 Wallabies caps - will be perfect for Exeter when he arrives in October following the conclusion of the Rugby Championship.

“I’m really excited about Scott coming, especially as he is going to drop in straight from the Rugby Championship in October,” said Baxter on the Exeter website. “Personally, I think he is going to be one of those guys who is going to be an immediate hit in the Premiership and I’m quite excited about the pack of forwards we are growing here at the club.

“The Brumbies, to be fair, are probably known as being a forward-orientated team in Super Rugby, which is very important for us. Scott has obviously been there quite some time, but he has also got great experience at Test level. He is also not that old, he has been given a clean bill of health from the medical people, so he is good to go which is fantastic.

“I don’t mind saying, right now I’m not sure if any of our young looseheads have really grabbed the position by the scruff of the neck yet, which is why I have been looking at the market. As far as I am concerned, we now have a good group of senior looseheads, so it is going to be a bit more of a battle for some of these younger lads to knock them off their perches, especially as they will need to work extremely hard to do that.”