Rob Baxter is confident Lewis Pearson is yet to reach the ceiling of his potential at Exeter Chiefs having handed the lock a contract extension until 2026.
Pearson, who can also play in the backrow, has gone slightly under the radar a bit this season following the more eye-catching displays of Rusi Tuima and others in the Exeter pack, but the 24-year-old has been involved in 20 games for Chiefs in all competitions so far this campaign having stepped up to be a first-team regular following high profile departures in the summer and serious injury to Scotland start Jonny Gray who is yet to feature in 2023/24.
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Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said: “It’s great news to have Lewis Pearson re-signing. He’s slowly, over a period of time, come through our Academy and having spent his time at loan clubs, he’s developed into a very good Premiership player. And I still think there’s a good amount of development and improvement that can happen over time and with experience.
“We’re delighted to see him doing so well as it’s always nice to see someone who has worked so hard to come through the system, who has taken their time at other clubs and taken that time to develop then gets an opportunity and grabs it with two hands.
“He’s been a very important part of how well we’ve done so far this season. He’s taken responsibility for a lot of key areas of the game, such as the lineout where he’s become one of our main callers.
“I can only see him going from strength to strength. He’s a really good guy, and he’s someone who is going to keep growing and be part of our future going forward.”
Pearson, who has spent time on loan at Plymouth Albion and Cornish Pirates, but has still made 35 appearances for Chiefs since his debut against Harlequins in a Premiership Rugby Cup match at Sandy Park in November 2018, added: “I’ve come through the ranks at Exeter Chiefs which gives that added extra feeling to this news. There’s a lot of history at this club and I get a real joy out of what we do here, so why wouldn’t I want to continue being a part of all that?
“I think we’ve taken everyone by surprise this season, including ourselves, that at the halfway stage we’re looking good. Chiefs teams in the past have won titles playing their best, so how well we’ve been playing this season has been a bit of an eye opener that there is a chance we could look to replicate their success.
“Staying at Sandy Park, my main focus is to continue pushing as hard as I can to secure my spot in this team.”
Pearson joins Harvey Skinner as the first names to be announced as recommitting their future to Chiefs, with more names anticipated to join them in the coming weeks.
