Australian lock Ollie Atkins has joined Exeter Chiefs from Edinburgh as a direct replacement for departing skipper Dean Mumm.
The 26-year-old, who has previously spent two years playing Super Rugby in his homeland, joins the Sandy Park club on a two-year deal.
Atkins will fill the void left by countryman Mumm, who announced earlier this week that he plans to rejoin former side NSW Waratahs.
"Ollie is actually someone that Dean mentioned having played with him back in Australia," Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter told the Aviva Premiership outfit's official website.
"He felt he was a promising young player with a great deal of promise and then our analyst, Simon Norris, who keeps a close eye on the Pro 12, also happened to mention he had seen a young lock that he felt had a couple of decent performances.
"That led us to take a closer look and analyse things a bit more closely and when we learnt Dean was going to leave, we made an approach and things came off."
Baxter is the fourth new capture for Exeter ahead of next season, joining Geoff Parling, Michele Campagnaro and Ollie Woodburn in signing for the club.
