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Aviva Premiership Rugby Football Union club the Exeter Chiefs have been dealt a hammer blow to their hopes of qualifying for European competition next season with star forward Ben Sturgess ruled out for the rest of Premiership season.

The loose head prop, one of the most experienced players in the Chiefs lineup, has been ruled out after sustaining a highly complex knee injury while playing for his team during their 22-6 defeat at the hands of Harlequins FC in December.

Initial reports had suggested that the player could make his return to action as early as February but it has now emerged that he will miss the rest of season with the injury which might also force him to miss the beginning of the new season as well.

Sturgess was taken to hospital immediately after the game and later scans revealed the severity of the problem in his knee which will definitely require surgery at some time or the other.

Rob Baxter, the Director of Rugby of the Exeter Chiefs stated that the news doesn’t come as a good one for a player like Sturgess and unfortunately, he will have to miss out on the remainder of the season.

Baxter went on to add that it is a cruel blow not only for the player but also for the team as well. He added that Brett Sturgess is not only a senior and most talented players in the squad but he is one of the popular players in the group and his presence will surely be missed by the Exeter Chiefs players.

But he is also confident that the player is in very good hands with the Chiefs medical team being one of the best in the country and he is hopeful of seeing him back fully fit and ready for action.

The Exeter Chiefs host the leaders Saracens FC in one of the biggest encounters of the weekend in the Aviva Premiership at Sandy Park and prop Alex Brown is keen on getting one over the London club and take over at the summit of the Aviva Premiership.

Brown, who has been a former player for the former champions, has been named on the bench against his old club and has backed his current employers to mark their return to the Premiership with a huge win over Saracens FC.

Both clubs had featured in the Anglo Welsh Cup or the LV=Cup in the last few weeks, with Saracens FC beating the London Wasps and the Welsh side the Scarlets while the Chiefs beat Harlequins FC in their first match before losing out to Bath Rugby.

And despite the visitors enjoying the better run of form in recent matches, Brown believes the Exeter Chiefs can rise to the occasion and cause one of the biggest upsets of the season.

The club from Devonshire sits in fourth place in the Aviva Premiership table while they top their pool in the European Cup and are in decent form themselves. According to Brown, they are in a great position but added that as a team and a group of players, they could be doing a lot better still and will be pushing for the top spot.

Brown mentioned that a player cannot ever be content with finishing at fourth on the table and they always want to be top and that is what the Exeter Chiefs will want to achieve when they take on Saracens FC at Sandy Park, which is also considered to be their fortress. And with so much motivation behind their match, the Chiefs might just cause the biggest upset of the season so far.

Aviva Premiership Rugby Football Union club the Exeter Chiefs has named David Mumm as their captain ahead of the new season of the Premiership.

The 29 year old lock joined the club just last summer from the Super 15 side the Waratahs and has been given the task of replacing Tom Hayes as the new skipper of the club for the 2013/14 season. Hayes has been the skipper of the club from Sandy Park for the last three seasons and has overseen the club’s progress in the Aviva Premiership and has also led the club from the Rugby Football Championship to the Aviva Premiership.

And speaking of his task to replace Hayes as skipper, Mumm stated that he is very excited to be given this opportunity by the Exeter Chiefs and is looking forward to leading the side on to the field when the Aviva Premiership starts. Mumm also has 33 international caps for the Wallabies and was also a part of the Barbarians side that played the British and Irish Lions at Hong Kong earlier this summer.

Mumm mentioned that following in the footsteps of someone like Tom Hayes is difficult simply because his contributions and legacy at the club is beyond any doubt and it was under his captaincy that the club underwent a lot of change on and off the pitch.

He stated that it is a big job to fill in his shoes and added that he will try his best to do the job that he has been given to do by the club management.

Meanwhile, the Exeter Chiefs are closing in on the signing of Romana Graham from another Super 15 club the Chiefs with head coach Rob Baxter revealing that negotiations are in advanced stages between the player and his club as well.

Aviva Premiership Rugby Football Union club the Exeter Chiefs have completed the signing of Wales’s international fly half Ceri Sweeney from the Welsh regional club the Cardiff Blues for the new season of the Aviva Premiership. The 33 year old international player has so far earned 35 caps for the Six Nations champions and has signed a one year contract with The Chiefs that will come into effect once this current season of European rugby comes to a close. Sweeney played 109 times for the Cardiff based side in his five years at the club.

Sweeney has been signed as a direct replacement for Ignacio Mieres, who will be joining The Chiefs’ Premiership rivals the Worcester Warriors and according to the player himself, he is extremely excited to be signing for the Premiership club. He mentioned that the club is an absolutely fantastic place to be and as soon as he heard from his agent that the Exeter Chiefs were interested in his services, he wanted to have a talk with them and have a look around the club.

He mentioned that along with a whole host of people who have been impressed by the steady rise of The Chiefs over the last couple of seasons, making a name for themselves not only at home in England but on a continental level as well. He admitted that the move is exciting and it will give him as well as his young family a fresh start.

Sweeney also mentioned that although it will be the first time he will be playing outside his native Wales, the challenge of testing himself with one of the up and coming forces in the Aviva Premiership was too good to turn down and he hopes to keep the faith the Exeter Chiefs have showed in him.