Exeter Chiefs sign powerful lock Nkwocha

Second row Obinna Nkwocha will join Exeter Chiefs from Worcester Warriors for the 2026/27 season.

A graduate of the Saracens Academy, the young lock spent a single season with Warriors after two years with Coventry RFC.

Known for his explosive power, the 23-year-old will add his 6ft 5ins, 118kg frame to the Chiefs boiler room with the opportunity hone his skills alongside international second-rows, Dafydd Jenkins and Andrea Zambonin.

Exeter Chiefs’ director of rugby Rob Baxter said: “We have been looking at our second-row options with Rusi Tuima moving on and the international workload that Dafydd and Andrea will be taking on this summer and into the autumn. We wanted to make sure we are well stocked in the second-row department. We’ve got some good young players coming through with great potential, like Joe Bailey and Oscar Beckerlegg, and Lewis Pearson too and Harry Wilson from Saracens, but I thought it was the right decision to look at Obinna.

“It did not quite work out with Saracens, so he had to rebuild his career with Championship clubs. I really like that. We’ve had numerous players who have dropped out of academies, gone to play with Championship clubs and have had that time growing up, both mentally and physically, and that’s what I’m really seeing when I watch Obinna play.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to come back into a Premiership environment and say, ‘This is my time’. I am expecting him to come in and challenge all our locks.”

Nkwocha will join the rest of the Chiefs squad as they reassemble for pre-season training at the end of this month.

He said: “My time in the Championship has given me an opportunity to learn and develop my game over the past three seasons. Making the step up to Exeter will allow me to build on the progress made and also test myself against some of the best players in the country. This move fuels my ambition to reach the top. It’s both a privilege and a challenge that I’m looking forward to.”