Sam Simmonds

Sam Simmonds is a fierce back row who has firmly established himself as a real talent within both Premiership Rugby and on the international stage.

Born in November 1994 in Torquay, Sam Simmonds grew up in Teignmouth, Devon and originally wanted to play football before making rugby union his full focus after being selected aged 14 to play for the county. After playing for Teignmouth RFC and also Torquay as a youth, he joined the Exeter Chiefs and rose through the ranks of the club's academy and made his senior debut in 2012.

Before Sam Simmonds became a regular for the Chiefs, he had spells as a dual-registered player with lower league sides Cornish Pirates and Plymouth Albion. This experience helped him develop his abilities further and it wasn't long before he earned himself a new deal with the Chiefs in 2017. This was also the same year he made his Premiership Rugby debut against Wasps.

Ever since, Sam Simmonds has regularly been one of Exeter's standout players and to date has a number of notable honours and accolades to his name. This includes Premiership Rugby titles in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons and a Heineken Cup win in the same year. What's more, he has now made over 90 appearances for the club and at a relatively young age, it's likely he will go on to make many more.

His impressive on-field displays have also been enough to earn him several call-ups to the England national side. He made his debut in the 2017 Autumn Internationals, playing in England's win against Argentina at Twickenham. Sam Simmonds also played in the 2018 Six Nations, starting several matches, however, injuries in the last few years have ruled him out of the more recent international tournaments.

With his excellent form and impressive performances, it was revealed in May 2021 that Sam Simmonds had been selected for the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.