Baxter backs Arnott to shine

By Mark Stevens

Rob Baxter believes Jack Arnott's season-long move to Championship side Cornish Pirates will offer him a "fresh challenge" in what is a big season ahead for the 21-year-old.

Having spent recent campaigns on dual-registered terms with hometown club Plymouth Albion, the Exeter Chiefs speedster is heading further west this term in pursuit of developing his career further.

A product of the highly successful Chiefs Academy, Arnott has chalked up 44 Championship appearances for Albion in the past three seasons, but following their relegation to National League One at the end of last season, the Chiefs made no secret of their desire to keep the player featuring in English rugby's second tier of action.

“We take Championship rugby very seriously and players at that level have got a good chance of breaking through," explained Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter.

“That’s no disrespect to Plymouth, because they’ve got some of our Academy players there this season and I’m sure they will do very well, bu I think Jack could have done better at Plymouth – and I think he would say the same himself.

“Personally, I think Jack has got the qualities needed for him to be breaking through. He’s unfortunate in that he picked up some injuries, but he needs a steady flow of games to get some consistent performances together.

“Going to Pirates gives him a fresh chance to challenge himself. We want to see him thriving at that level.”

In recent years, the Chiefs have used their relationship with the Pirates to help develop the likes of Jack Yeandle, Dave Ewers and Sam Hill, all of whom have since gone on to establish themselves as regulars within Baxter's first-team plans at Exeter.

Already Arnott has shown he can produce within the Premiership ranks, capping his top flight debut at London Welsh last season with a try just 30 seconds after coming onto the pitch at the Kassam Stadium.