Exeter Chiefs confirm major coup as ‘valuable’ Los Pumas star arrives to ease ‘stretched’ resources
Exeter Chiefs have confirmed the capture of Franco Molina
Exeter Chiefs have confirmed the signing of impressive Los Pumas lock Franco Molina, who will bolster the Premiership side’s forward pack.
The 6’6, 114kg second-row has made nine appearances for Argentina this year, including in all six of their Rugby Championship Tests – where they finished in third place.
Molina excited by Chiefs move
Commenting on his move, Molina said: “I signed for Exeter Chiefs because I wanted to go to a club that is really competitive and that makes me continue to improve as a player. I think the Chiefs are the right place for that.
“The prospect of playing in the Premiership really excites me, it’s a very difficult tournament that demands the maximum week by week. I can’t wait for my debut.”
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He added: “This is going to be my first experience in English rugby, so I just hope to enjoy it to the fullest and play as many minutes as possible.”
Prior to his switch to the South West, Molina had never previously played club rugby outside of South America.
Solving an injury issue
Molina arrives at the perfect time for the Chiefs, with the club experiencing a real injury problem at lock. Club captain, Dafydd Jenkins, underwent knee and shoulder surgery during the off-season, and elsewhere Lewis Pearson is also suffering with an Achilles issue and has yet to feature this season.
They have had to turn to makeshift options to fill that gap, with Richard Capstick and Christ Tshiunza filling it at lock in their opening two Premiership games.
With the lack of genuine options at second-row, Baxter is delighted to have a player of Molina’s quality joining the club.
“People are aware that we started the season with a couple of injuries, including a relatively long-term injury to Dafydd. At the start of the season, we were also assessing a possible injury to Christ Tshiunza and Lewis Pearson,” he said.
“So, we knew we were stretched and not overly resourced in the back five of the scrum anyway, so I started looking at potential options for a quality player who was ready to play.
“Franco was available, and he was easy to watch as he was playing for Argentina in the Rugby Championship. He showed some really good qualities playing in a very good Argentinian side.
Valuable asset
“And so, he’s here with us now and we’re delighted he is getting up to speed straight away this week, so he should be available pretty quickly for us.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him play – I think he’ll be a valuable asset for us this season. And it gives him a great opportunity to play in the Premiership and test himself in Europe.”
Molina now joins a famous list of six Argentinians to play for Exeter, including former Sandy Park favourite Santiago Cordero.
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