McRae signs deal with Chiefs

By Mark Stevens
27/2/18

The partnership between Exeter Chiefs and Exeter University has unearthed another gem with the news this week that young forward James McRae has agreed a full-time academy contract with the Aviva Premiership club.

The talented back-row forward, who is set to graduate with a degree in Geography later this year, has impressed the Sandy Park coaching staff with not only his displays for the University in the BUCS Super League, but also in the Aviva A League, Singha Premiership 7s and many training sessions.

Having started his career as a youngster at Colchester Rugby Club, McRae moved onto schooling at Eton and was part of the London Irish Academy between the ages of 15-18.

Although he failed to win a contract with the Exiles, the 22-year-old still harboured hopes for a rugby career and saw Exeter University as the perfect location to not only glean a top class degree, but also enhance his rugby due to their strong links with the Chiefs.

Under the guidance of Exeter University's Director of Rugby, Keith Fleming, McRae has flourished and his talents were quickly noted by the Chiefs, who brought him into their Senior Outreach Programme, which in the past has yielded further success with the likes of former Exeter University students Paul Davis, Jack Owlett, Pete Laverick and Tom Lawday all winning contracts with the English champions.

"It's a proven pathway we know works and which has already brought through a number of players," said Senior Academy coach Haydn Thomas, himself a former Exeter University alumni. "We see it as a fantastic opportunity to combine studying for a degree with an elite professional performance programme, which is integrated in line with the Chiefs.

"We identified James at an early stage as being someone we felt could have the potential to progress.

"He's a big, intelligent guy, has a high work-rate, he's a good line-out forward and he's been a stand out player in the BUCS League this season. Coming into the set-up here at the Chiefs we've already seen signs of development within his game, most notably in the A League game against Gloucester, where he was outstanding.

"We feel there is definite scope for him to get better in the future - and once his commitments at University are over, we will be looking to unlock even more from him."

Thomas said the ever-growing link between the Chiefs and the University was another huge development tool in the club's armoury - as it offered players who had potentially missed out on professional contracts at 18, now having the chance to go away and get a degree, whilst at the same time keeping their dream alive of being a professional player.