Alec Hepburn Signs for Scarlets for 2024/25 Season
Exeter Chiefs loosehead prop Alec Hepburn has agreed a move to Scarlets for the 2024/25 season.
The front rower will join the Welsh United Rugby Championship [URC] side after a decorated career as a Chief. In 10 seasons, Hepburn amassed 179 appearances and seven tries as well as a Champions Cup and two Premiership titles.
“Alec is moving on now to another stage of his career,” Director of Rugby Rob Baxter said. “He’s already started that new phase with being capped for Scotland and now moving on to Scarlets. I think it’s a good signing for them, as he brings with him a wealth of experience in the Premiership and the Champions Cup as well as internationally.
“He’s been a key part of some of the best years we’ve had at the club, including multiple top two finishes in the Premiership, a couple of Premiership titles as well as Premiership Cup and obviously the double year was a real highlight.
“He came into the squad as a relatively young guy who had taken a slightly different pathway in rugby and he really bought into what the group were trying to achieve and the process of getting better week-by-week, month-by-month, year-by-year.
“And that all led to having some huge games for us and being involved in an incredibly successful group. So, we wish him all the best in the future – we hope things go well for him in Wales and that things keep going well internationally for Scotland as well.”
Setting foot on Devon soil for the first time ahead of the 2014/15 season, the dynamic prop set out to carve his place in Exeter’s esteemed front row. Alongside the likes of Jack Yeandle, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ben Moon, Harry Williams and Tomas Francis, Hepburn was part of a front row group who were pivotal to the top-flight success of Chiefs for a number of seasons.
In 2020, Hepburn took the starting berth for both the Champions Cup and Gallagher Premiership finals as Chiefs crusaded past Wasps and Racing 92 respectively on their way to a fairytale double – the domestic and European trophies taken home to Devon.
With such fond memories created in a Chiefs shirt, Hepburn says it has been a bittersweet decision to leave but his next adventure holds promise.
“My way of dealing with the prospect of leaving is by looking forward – the front windscreen is bigger than the rearview mirror. And because, if I do look back, it’ll probably make me a bit emotional.
“Being a Chief has been amazing. I can’t believe I was here at 21 and I’m getting ready to leave at 31. It’s all gone very quickly.
“Running out at Sandy Park is very special, very unique. A lot of teams around the country don’t have the same support that we do. Exeter’s just a brilliant community where you feel that the team is at the forefront of what is good.
“It’s hard to summarise but I’ve always thought being a Chief meant playing with a lot of heart, a lot of passion, and to play for each other. I’d like to thank Exeter Chiefs and all the supporters – it’s been an amazing ride. To say it’s been a huge part of my life is an understatement, so thank you.”
Originally spotted as a youngster with promise and prospects at Henley Hawks in 2008/09, Hepburn moved on to develop in the Wasps Academy before a switch to London Welsh exposed him to Championship rugby.
Alongside his domestic work with Chiefs – the prop helped Chiefs to reach six successive Premiership finals at Twickenham – Hepburn has achieved the extremely unique feat of representing both England and Scotland on the international stage.
Having worked with Rob Hunter in the England U20s set-up, Hepburn made his debut for the Red Rose in the 2018 Six Nations championship.
In early 2024, with five years having passed since his last cap under Eddie Jones, he was a surprise inclusion in Gregor Townsend’s Scotland squad. Honouring his late Scottish-born father, George, Hepburn debuted for the thistle in February.
The club would like to thank Alec for his contributions to Chiefs and everyone wishes him all the best for the future.