Exeter Chiefs sign London Scottish prop Tomas Francis
- Published
London Scottish prop Tomas Francis will join Exeter Chiefs in the summer on a two-year deal.
The 21-year-old is the second addition in the front row after Scotland's Moray Low agreed a deal in February.
They replace current tight-heads , external and Craig Mitchell, who are leaving the club at the end of the season.
"If I'm honest, getting into the Premiership has come a lot quicker than I thought, but it's a great opportunity for me," Francis said.
Francis has made 21 appearances for Scottish this season, having played at Doncaster in the 2012-13 Championship campaign.
He is the latest front-row player hoping to make the step up from the second tier with the Chiefs following Jack Yeandle, Alex Brown and Carl Rimmer.
"The Championship has a reputation for its physicality and set-piece play," added Francis.
"In the Premiership, both those areas are important, but so too are your skills and the pace of the game.
"Moving into a Premiership club you know you have to raise you're standards, so it's going to be a big challenge for me."
Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter is confident Francis has the capacity to develop his game further.
"On a pretty consistent basis, Tom has looked very good. He's looked strong in the set-piece and more mobile than you'd imagine, when you see the stats, for his size," he said.
"He's been a pretty dominant scrummager, but he's also short of time in the professional game. He's got huge potential."
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