Troubled Exeter Chiefs sign 6'8 Italy lock Andrea Zambonin

Exeter Chiefs will have a third Italian international in their ranks next season after signing Zebre lock Andrea Zambonin, whose contract expires at the end of the current campaign.

The 6ft 8in Vicenza-born forward joins fellow Azzurri internationals Ross Vintcent and Stephen Varney at Sandy Park as Director of Rugby Rob Baxter continues to reshape his squad after a difficult season.

Zambonin, 24, earned his first cap against England in the 2022 Guinness Six Nations and has since made 10 appearances for Italy. He began his career with Serie A clubs Rugby Calvisano and Rangers Vicenza Rugby.

He moved to United Rugby Championship side Zebre four years ago and has scored three tries in 60 appearances. Zambonin said it was a dream come true to join the Premiership.

“I’m excited and honoured to play for a club with such a rich history as Exeter Chiefs. They are a young team full of talent.

“Playing in the Gallagher Premiership has always been a dream of mine, and it’s what’s driven me to give my best over the years,” he said.

Under-fire Director of Rugby Baxter is pleased to add further international depth to his second row, which already includes Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza.

“We’re really pleased to sign Andrea. He’s a big, young, quality international lock. We’ll have some rotation in the lock position at the end of the season.

“So Andrea coming in is a very important part of the additions we’ll make to our front-line playing group. He’s young and ambitious, and he obviously knows Ross Vintcent very well.

“For us, it’s another move forward, bringing in international-quality players, particularly in the pack. We want to create a group with a better balance of experience.

“In recent seasons, our squad has leaned more towards youth and exuberance, but we’d like to level that out a bit moving forward,” said Baxter.