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Exeter Chiefs have confirmed they've released Will Witty

By Ian Cameron
: Will Witty the Exeter Chiefs lock, celebrates after scoring their third try despite being held by Will Cliff (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Exeter Chiefs have confirmed that the club has agreed to release second row Will Witty from his contract with the Gallagher Premiership club.

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The Yorkshireman will join French Top 14 side Perpignan ahead of the 2022/23 season after he approached the club for a release.

Witty (27) joined the Chiefs in 2019 from Newcastle Falcons and went on to play 30 times for the Devon club, scoring five tries in his time at Sandy Park.

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Wales captain Dan Biggar previews the first Test of a three-match series against the World Cup champions Springboks on Saturday

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Wales captain Dan Biggar previews the first Test of a three-match series against the World Cup champions Springboks on Saturday

“Will approached me and asked if he could be released from his contract early as an opportunity to play over in France had arisen for him,” Exeter Chiefs Director of Rugby Rob Baxter, said. “Like any player, Will wants to play regular rugby and with such competition in our back five, the challenge is always going to be there for him.

“Since he arrived from Newcastle in 2019, he’s been a great servant to the club, on and off the field, and has brought some real quality and commitment to the squad. As I said, I never want to stand in the way of any player who feels they can progress their career, and he leaves the club with our very best wishes for the future.”

Witty admitted that it was a tough decision to leave. “It was a tough decision to make in terms of my career. Coming to a top club like Exeter was like a dream come true for me and I leave having made some amazing memories.

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“I’ll be forever grateful to Rob, Ali and the rest of the coaches for giving me the opportunity to come to Exeter. It’s been an amazing few years and I’ve made life-long friends. Now, I’ve got a new challenge in France. It’s kind of been a whirlwind few days getting things sorted, but I am looking forward to testing myself in the Top 14 and seeing how I go over there.”

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

44 Go to comments
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