Exeter swoop for Northampton’s Hooley

Exeter Chiefs have bolstered their attacking options for next season with the acquisition of Will Hooley from Premiership rivals Northampton Saints.
The 21-year-old fly-half has penned a two-year deal at Sandy Park and will provide competition for the No.10 role alongside current incumbents Gareth Steenson and Henry Slade.
He said: “I’m really looking forward to the move, I see it as a massive opportunity for me to experience a new club, a new environment and to hopefully be part of something special down at the Chiefs.
“I obviously know quite a few of the young lads, guys like Sam Hill, Jack Nowell and Henry Slade, who I played with at England Under-20s level, and  I’ve seen how they have progressed over the last few years and how they’ve all made the most of the chances they’ve been given.
“One of the things I guess that attracted me to Exeter was the fact that Rob [Baxter]and the coaches aren’t afraid to give young players their chance. You can see that if they feel they are good enough to play, then they are old enough to play.”
Head coach Rob Baxter added: “Will is a young fly-half who is very similar in a lot of ways to some of our young lads in that he was involved in the England Under-20s World Cup squad a couple of years ago.
“He has gone on from there and had some first team games for Northampton and done very well when he has had the opportunity.
“We are just delighted that we can add a young quality fly-half to the squad. He is at the right age for us to bring into the squad at the moment and he has a lot of the qualities that we look for.”