Varney raring to return to Gallagher PREM as a Chief

Italian scrum-half Stephen Varney traded the French north-west for the English south-west this summer and has quickly settled into life as a Chief thanks to some familiar faces.

“I’m really excited to get started with the Chiefs boys,” Varney said. “And being back with Ross [Vintcent] and Zambo [Andrea Zambonin] is pretty cool.

“I loved my time in France. It was a great place to play, but the Premiership is a different type of game, so I’m excited to get back there and show what I can do.”

Varney’s near 50 Gallagher PREM appearances came in a previous stint at Kingsholm with Gloucester. He believes a move to France with Vannes in October 2024 has added new strings to his bow.

“I feel like in France, everything is a little more off the cuff and unstructured. That attacking style is close to what we’re trying to achieve here, so I think that change to the Chiefs structure will suit me.”

Exeter is not an unknown entity to the new man. He’s played on the opposite side for the Cherry & Whites before and found it a tough encounter.

“Chiefs were always a tough side to face; the side that just never gives up. So physical as well, and you always knew coming here was going to be a tough battle. I hope we can reinvigorate that this season and make this a fortress for people to walk into.”

Varney may be one of the new faces in the Chiefs changing room this year but connections to home aren’t too far away.

Though born in Carmarthen in Wales, it is Italy the half-back represents on the international stage. He made his debut for the Azzuri in a 2020 Autumn Internationals, but he says he feels just at home around Chiefs’ Welsh contingent as he does his fellow Italian players.

“It’s maybe a little bit of a home away from home with them both here, but there’s also a lot of Welsh boys to be fair – so I’ve got half and half! So yeah, it’s pretty nice.”

By the time the season comes around, and he is well engrossed in the Exeter culture, there is one clear goal in mind for Varney…an appearance at Sandy Park.

“I’m looking forward to running out here. The fan base at Chiefs is amazing and I’d love to get a win in front of them. It definitely feels like there’s a good buzz around the team. They obviously had a tough time last season, but hopefully we can get a grip on this year and go after results.”

Varney’s first chance to receive a Sandy Park welcome will be when Chiefs play their home season opener against Newcastle Red Bulls on Saturday, 4 October. Tickets available here.