Sexton to remain at Chiefs

Lock Jerry Sexton is set to remain with Exeter Chiefs until the end of the season after being offered a deal.

The former Ireland under-20s forward arrived at the club in August on trial until the end of November.

Head coach Rob Baxter brought Sexton in as skipper Dean Mumm was recovering from a shoulder operation.

Although the Australia international is now fully fit – and has started the last two games – Sexton is due to get an extended period to impress at Sandy Park.

With giant academy lock Will Carrick-Smith on loan with the Cornish Pirates, Baxter thinks the younger brother of Ireland fly-half Jonathan can provide cover for his senior locks Mumm, Damian Welch, Ryan Caldwell and Mitch Lees.

Although the paperwork has yet to be completed, Baxter hopes the contract will be signed in the near future.

“We’re looking for him to stay until the end of the season,” said Baxter. “We brought him in as an opportunity for him and to thicken our squad in an area where we had Dean injured and our other locks in and out with injuries and not always able to train flat-out.

“We knew we were a little bit thin there, and with Will Carrick-Smith on a season-long loan at the Cornish Pirates we didn’t want to be pulling him back every five minutes. He’s taken his opportunity with both hands and what he’s got to do now is continue to work as hard as he has to keep physically improving and also keep training hard and improving as an overall player as he matures.

“Everything we’ve seen of him has been on the positive side of what we’ve been expecting, which is always a good thing. I think he’s merited a further opportunity to see how things go until the end of the season.”

Sexton started the LV= Cup match against Gloucester earlier this month, playing the full 80 minutes in the 28-27 win.

The former Leinster academy player, who spent the 2013/14 campaign playing in France with second tier side Auch, has also featured in A League and academy matches since joining up with his new colleagues in August.