Fairbrother heads to Dragons

Exeter Chiefs head coach Baxter has revealed that tight-head prop Lloyd Fairbrother rejected an offer from the club to sign a three-year contract with RaboDirect Pro12 side Newport-Gwent Dragons for next season.

The 22-year-old, who has spent the last two campaigns dual-registered with Greene King IPA Championship side Plymouth Albion, was out of contract at Sandy Park this summer, but he was expected to sign a new deal and continue his dual-registration agreement with Albion next season.

However, the offer of a long-term contract with the Dragons proved too good for the almost 20 stone forward to turn down.

“We offered Lloyd a one-year deal, but he obviously thinks there are better opportunities for him going to the Dragons and looking to seal a starting spot with them, rather than be with us and be dual-registered with Plymouth,” said Baxter.

“We are 100 per cent behind him. We haven’t got any issues with it. Lloyd has been part of our Academy for quite a long time, we were prepared to keep offering him that opportunity, but he has decided to take an opportunity elsewhere.

“I hope everything goes really well for him, but we have got some other up and coming props who will move up now through the Academy and fill his spot. We won’t be recruiting at the level of an Academy, dual-registered type player. Whether we recruit any higher than that would be very late in the day and we would see what was on the market, but we are not looking to directly replace him now.”

Dragons’ director of rugby Lyn Jones said: “I am delighted that Lloyd has signed a contract with us. He has shown great promise through learning his trade at Exeter. The key part with him is his development.

“I want to spend time continuing the good work Exeter have done with him, making Lloyd the best that he can be. He has outstanding ability and I look forward to watching him develop as a player in the Dragons squad.”

Fairbrother is Welsh qualified through his mother, who is originally from Blaenavon in south east Wales.