Former Scotland scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne has signed for Premiership side Exeter Chiefs the club have confirmed.
The 12-time capped Scot has put pen to paper on a two-year-deal starting next season and will be a replacement for departing Wallaby Nic White.
Hidalgo-Clyne is looking forward to linking up with his new teammates and believes that Rob Baxter has created a brilliant environment for the team to thrive in.
“Like a lot of people, I’ve watched how the Chiefs have done and how successful the club have become over the last few years. They are one of the great teams, not just in England, but across Europe, and it will be great to be part of their set-up. Even looking in from the outside, you can see Rob has created a fantastic environment for the players. They play a great brand of rugby, everyone appears to enjoy themselves and they are a team who clearly want to win things,” he said.
The move comes as the No 9’s sixth in a two year period, having lined-out for Edinburgh, Scarlets, Harlequins, Racing 92 and most recently Lyon as he secured a series of short-term deals.
Having featured for the Scots during the 2015 Rugby World Cup as well he is delighted that there will be some fellow countrymen in his new club and is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
“Obviously, they have a quality squad already assembled there and with guys like Jonny (Gray) coming in as well, it’s only going to get better. I’ve played a lot with Jonny, not only as a youngster, but also with him and Stuart (Hogg) at international level, so it will be good to have a few friendly faces on arrival. When you look at Exeter as an opponent, they are one of the toughest teams out there. They have strengths all over the pitch and they are a team who like to keep hold of the ball and play for long periods. The way they attack, their defence, their physicality, they have some many areas of their game that are so strong. They rarely have off days! Alongside all of that, the support they get down at Sandy Park is incredible. I remember it was not only pretty noisy, but it was probably one of the windiest days ever for me on a rugby pitch. It’s a great place to go and play, though, and as I said at the outset, I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead,” he added.
The Chiefs currently sit top of the Premiership standings and have progressed to the Champions Cup quarter-finals in what has been a good season to date.
However, Hidalgo-Clyne will be hoping that he can add to their ranks come next season and who knows maybe stay longer at Sandy Park then he has done at recent club grounds.
