FANS’ favourite Paul Brown-Bampoe has capped off a sensational breakthrough season by signing a new contract extension with the Exeter Chiefs – a move met with delight from both player and supporters.

The 23-year-old winger, who joined the Premiership outfit ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, has been one of the most exciting young talents to emerge in recent years. From a relatively untested prospect to top try scorer in just one season, Brown-Bampoe’s rise has been nothing short of remarkable.

“I am delighted to be re-signing at Chiefs,” he said. “It’s an environment that has allowed me to grow both my understanding and passion for the game. The Chiefs faithful have accepted me as one of their own, and I’m beyond excited to continue to grow and serve this club.”

Originally scouted while playing for Durham University, Brown-Bampoe was handed his debut unexpectedly in the opening fixture against Leicester Tigers after an early injury to team-mate Ben Hammersley. Thrust into action just five minutes in, he delivered an eye-catching 75-minute performance that marked the start of an electric season.

Known for his blistering pace, tackle-breaking runs and trademark goose step, Brown-Bampoe scored his first try in Round Four against Bristol Bears and never looked back – finishing the season with 21 tries across all competitions.

Rob Baxter, director of rugby, hailed the extension as “fantastic news,” adding: “It’s fantastic news that Paul has decided to extend his contract with us. He was clearly one of our key performers this season.

“He is a guy with huge potential and one of those players we fully expect to see pushing for international honours very shortly.

“As I’ve said to a lot of the guys re-signing, we will be trying to build a team involving them that will be challenging at the top end of the Premiership. That will obviously help them with their international ambitions.

“We see Paul being key to the ambitions we as a club have for the future, so this is a very important signing for us. It’s really good news for the type of squad we want to build going forward and the exciting players we want to have within the team.”

Meanwhile, Tom Wyatt will miss the beginning of the 2025/26 season following surgery on his knee.

“Sadly, having suffered an ACL injury on his right knee last season, Tommy has now ruptured the ACL on his left knee. He now has surgery booked in and will face six-to-nine months in a rehabilitation process to return to play,” said Baxter.

“Everyone is gutted for Tommy. He worked extremely hard to come back from last season’s injury and was beginning to really breakthrough again in our most recent games.

“The only slight positive we can take from this situation is that once he completes this latest period of rehabilitation, Tommy will be even stronger. Everyone is helping to ensure he remains in good spirits, and we’ll all do what we can to try to get him moving forward in his recovery as soon as possible.”