Lock Ollie Atkins has confirmed he will be leaving Exeter Chiefs this summer to join French club Rouen. The Australian-born forward has spent the last four years at Sandy Park after originally joining from Edinburgh and he played his part in helping the Chiefs reach four successive Premiership finals, although he did not feature in any of their games at Twickenham, including Saturday’s 37-34 defeat to Saracens.
In total Atkins made 59 appearances during his time with Exeter, but he will now make the move to France where he will join Rouen, who have just won promotion to the second tier of French rugby. Rouen are currently coached by former England international Richard Hill and Atkins will hope to establish himself as a regular in Normandy having been on the periphery of things for much of his time at Exeter. The 30-year-old is certainly leaving the Chiefs with fond memories despite his lack of regular action. “Exeter you have been amazing, now on to a new adventure,” Atkins tweeted.
