Exeter bolster their second-row stocks with addition of Champ Rugby winner

Exeter Chiefs have signed Obinna Nkwocha from Champ Rugby winners Worcester Warriors for the 2026/27 season.

A graduate of the Saracens Academy, the young lock spent a single season with Warriors after two years with Coventry RFC.

The 23-year-old, who stands 6’5 tall and weighs 118kgs, scored two tries in 16 appearances for the Warriors.

Explaining the signing, Chiefs director of rugby, Rob Baxter, said: “We have been looking at our second-row options with Rusi Tuima moving on and the international workload that Dafydd (Jenkins) and Andrea (Zambonin) will be taking on this summer and into the autumn.

“We wanted to make sure we are well stocked in the second-row department. We’ve got some good young players coming through with great potential, like Joe Bailey and Oscar Beckerlegg, and Lewis Pearson too and Harry Wilson from Saracens, but I thought it was the right decision to look at Obinna.

“It did not quite work out with Saracens, so he had to rebuild his career with Championship clubs. I really like that. We’ve had numerous players who have dropped out of academies, gone to play with Championship clubs and have had that time growing up, both mentally and physically, and that’s what I’m really seeing when I watch Obinna play.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to come back into a Premiership environment and say, ‘This is my time’. I am expecting him to come in and challenge all our locks.”

Nkwocha will join the rest of the Chiefs squad as they reassemble for pre-season training at the end of this month.

“My time in the Championship has given me an opportunity to learn and develop my game over the past three seasons,” Nkwocha said.

“Making the step up to Exeter will allow me to build on the progress made and also test myself against some of the best players in the country.

“This move fuels my ambition to reach the top. It’s both a privilege and a challenge that I’m looking forward to.”