Ehren Painter: Exeter prop deserved new deal after ‘diligent’ injury return

Exeter boss Rob Baxter says Ehren Painter’s commitment to battling back from a serious knee injury convinced the club to offer him a new deal.

The 28-year-old tight-head prop signed a new contract last week as he returns to fitness after 15 months out.

As well as tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, Painter also suffered cartilage damage after being hurt in training in January 2025.

“The key behind us offering him a new deal is how good he’s been, how diligent he’s been,” Baxter told BBC Sport.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do – he’s actually probably lighter, nimbler, moving better in a way than he probably was when he got injured.

“So he’s ticked an awful lot of boxes, and because of that diligence through that rehab and how he’s come back from it, where his strength scores are, all that stuff, that’s the big driver for us to offer him a deal because he had some very, very good performances in previous seasons, particularly built around his scrumming prowess.

“We think that’s going to be important for us at times next season when there are games that are decided around the set-piece through a big chunk of the season.”