TRANSFER | Gloucester lose England U20 star to Premiership rival
Transfer RumoursMonday, 02 March 2020 at 10:59
Aaron Hinkley says he is relishing the new challenge that awaits next season after he agreed to join the Exeter Chiefs from Gallagher Premiership rivals, Gloucester Rugby.
The 20-year-old forward will make the switch to Sandy Park this summer, having agreed a two-year deal with the Devon club.
He is Exeter’s third confirmed capture ahead of the 2020/21 season and follows Scottish internationals Jonny Gray and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne in joining Rob Baxter’s squad.
The Hereford-born flanker was a pupil at St Peter’s High School in Gloucester before joining the club’s Academy set-up in 2017. The following year he made his first-team debut as a replacement for Ben Morgan in an Anglo-Welsh Cup fixture against Newcastle Falcons.
Since then, he has combined life with the Cherry & Whites by featuring initially for Cinderford in the National League and then Hartpury College in the RFU Championship.
To date, he has featured 12 times for Gloucester, scoring tries against Harlequins and London Irish in this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup. However, he sees his future away from Kingsholm and is excited about testing himself in a new environment with the Chiefs.
“I’m very excited about the move,” said Hinkley, who has been capped at both Under-18s and Under-20s level with England. “I was coming to the end of my contract at Gloucester and when I heard there was some interest from Exeter, I wanted to hear more of what they had to say.
“Speaking with Rob Baxter and Rob Hunter, I liked what they had to say and how they wanted to work with me and develop my game moving forward. Everyone knows that Exeter are one of the best clubs in Europe and that they have created a great environment and a great culture for their players.
“Obviously, I’m grateful for the opportunities that Gloucester have given me over the last few years, but I feel the time is right for me to try something different. I know going down to Exeter is going to be a huge challenge, especially when you see the quality of their squad, but I believe they can help take me to another level"
HIGHEST PAID RUGBY PLAYERS - 2020
highest paid rugby players
Here are the 20 richest rugby players in the world for 2020
20. Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks) - £500,000
The Springbok playmaker enters the list after signing a new contract with the Premiership club.
19. Paddy Jackson (London Irish) - £500,000
The number 10 reportedly earns more than his ex-international teammate Sean O'Brien at the Exiles, who pockets a hefty £450,000 wage packet.
18. Sergio Parisse (Toulon) - £500,000
Italy’s captain has been a star for more years than most can remember and continues to be paid big money for his services at No.8 by Toulon.
17. Kieran Read (Toyota Verblitz) - £519,000
16. Finn Russell (Racing 92) - £535,000
Doubled his money by succeeding Carter at Racing 92 after switching from Glasgow Warriors with the Scottish Rugby Union unable to come anywhere near matching the money he was offered by the Top 14 club.
15. Johnny Sexton (Leinster) - £536,000
12=. Rhys Webb (Toulon) - £550,000
His Wales career sadly ended when he signed for Toulon from the Ospreys with Webb not having enough caps to continue to be picked by Warren Gatland. However, a big pay packet in France will provide some consolation for the ace scrum-half.
12=. Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers) - £550,000
The powerhouse centre signed a contract extension early in 2019, believed to be around a 25 per cent increase on his previous £450,000-a-year deal that will net him more than £1m over the next two seasons, to see him stay at Welford Road until the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.
12=. Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs) - £550,000
The Scotland fullback was the highest paid player at Glasgow Warriors (£350,000) but added another healthy chunk to his pay-packet by joining the Premiership side.
11. Morgan Parra (Clermont Auvergne) - £570,000
The Clermont Auvergne scrum-half star is a precious commodity in France because he’s also a top-class goal-kicker and is a hugely popular figure with the country's rugby watchers.
10. Michael Hooper (NSW Waratahs) - £572,000
9. Nicolas Sanchez (Stade Francais) - £581,000
Argentina’s No.10 play-maker has been lured from home and the Jaguares Super Rugby franchise by a massive deal to sign for Stade Francais in 2018.
8. Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints) - £600,000
Biggar is the brains behind an impressive Welsh backline. Left his home country to take up a huge deal with the Northampton Saints.
7. Steve Luatua (Bristol Bears) - £650,000
Didn't make any friends within the All Blacks hierarchy when he decided to cash in on his extreme rugby talent, signing for Bristol. Has since signed a contract extension.
6. Owen Farrell (Saracens) - £750,000
He a points-machine with England and Saracens, and the outside-half or inside-centre is one of England's best paid players.
5.Maro Itoje (Saracens) - £800,000
According to RugbyPass his new salary is somewhere in the region of £750,000 to £1 million – making him England’s highest paid player.
3=. Hander Pollard (Montpellier) - £1m
The Springbok reportedly tripled his salary when he departed the Bulls to join Top 14 side Montpellier earlier this year.
3=. Charles Piutau (Bristol Bears) - £1m
The former All Black full-back or wing, who surprised many by leaving New Zealand before reaching the peak of his powers, has allegedly became British rugby’s first million pound man when he moved to Ashton Gate in 2018.
1=. Dan Carter (Kobe Steelers) - £1.1m
He may have been on £1.4m at Racing 92, but Dan Carter isn’t getting a bad wage off Japanese club Kobe Steelers. In 2018, he was named MVP and guided them to the Top League title
1=. Matt Giteau (Suntory Sungoliath) - £1.1m
Money doesn’t seem to be an object in Japan with the country’s top clubs being company enterprises.
TRENDING
LATEST NEWS
LATEST COMMENTS
- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
Loading
