Alec Hepburn

A hugely popular member of the Exeter Chiefs squad, both on and off the field, Alec Hepburn arrived at Sandy Park ahead of the 2014/15 season.

Already well known to Chiefs forwards coach Rob Hunter, who worked closely with him at England Under-20s level, the promising front-rower wasted little time in making an impact at his new club.

His dynamic work around the field, coupled with a solid approach to the fine arts of the front-row, won him many admirers from the outset.

Spotted playing as a youngster for Henley Hawks in 2008/09, Hepburn was part of the Wasps Academy before he later moved on to London Welsh, whom he featured for in the Championship.

An international team-mate of England quartet Luke Cowan-Dickie, Sam Hill, Jack Nowell and Henry Slade at Under-20s level, Hepburn arrived in Devon having previously headed back to his native Australia to play for a period at Perth Spirit.

Although a knee injury hampered him slightly on arrival at the Chiefs, he soon recovered and was a key figure in helping Rob Baxter’s side to reach the 2016 Aviva Premiership Final against Saracens.

His displays during the course of the 2015/16 season put him on the radar of England - and it came as no surprise when he was selected as part of the Saxons squad to tour South Africa that summer.

Looking to build on the previous year, Hepburn started last season on good form, only for his campaign to be curtailed by a series of injuries. The first was a badly broken thumb, quickly followed by a serious knee ligament injury.

His fine form was rewarded in February 2018 when he was called into the England senior squad for the first time and made his Six Nations debut against Italy in Rome.