Dunne Signs New Chiefs Contract

Exeter Chiefs lock Jack Dunne has signed a new contract to commit to the club.

The Irishman arrived in Devon ahead of the 2022/23 season from United Rugby Championship [URC] giants, Leinster.

As a Chief, the towering lock has made 35 appearances in all competitions, with a noteworthy try this season against Irish province Munster in a hotly contested Investec Champions Cup match at Sandy Park.

“I’m excited to be continuing with this team for next season. We had some excellent performances this year and are working to bring more consistency into our game so we can hunt for silverware.

“A huge thank you to the Chiefs supporters who have made Sandy Park such a special place for me these last two years.”

It was after graduating from St Michael’s College in Dublin that Dunne was taken into the Leinster sub-academy fold. With just a year under his belt, the forward was promoted to the full academy. During the same time, the youngster was selected for international duty with the Irish U20s side.

A Leinster A debut followed in 2018, with Dunne being a key cog in the side’s Celtic Cup victory. The 25-year-old took the next step on his rugby journey in February 2019 when he made his Leinster first team debut in a fixture against Zebre.

Director of Rugby Rob Baxter spotted the lock for his work-rate and the strong lineout option he provided and brought him into the Chiefs squad which he has committed once more to.

“We’re pleased to have Jack staying at Sandy Park. We think he’s another guy that’s got a lot of potential. He’s scored some phenomenal tries for us and produced some incredible moments, so I think he’s aware as well as we are that he just needs that little bit of consistency.

“We’re going to have more confidence in our squad next season having had so many players get good experience this season. We’ll probably see the majority of our locks and back five forwards playing fairly regularly, so I see Jack being an important part of that and getting some good game time.

“He had a couple of issues in pre-season this year that held him back at the start of the year, so it’ll be really important for Jack to get a good off-season now so that he’s ready to go on day one of pre-season. That will allow him to thrive and make a real impact for us next year.

“We look forward to seeing an even better and improved Jack Dunne next season.”

Dunne is the latest in a list of first team players signing on to commit to the re-development of Baxter’s squad.