Is Brown-Bampoe Exeter's next big star?
Paul Brown-Bampoe has scored five tries in three pre-season matches for Exeter Chiefs this year
- Published
Exeter winger Paul Brown-Bampoe has the potential to be next young star to come out of the Chiefs, according to the club's director of rugby Rob Baxter.
The 22-year-old former England Students player has impressed in pre-season after signing professional terms.
Brown-Bampoe caught Exeter's eye while playing for Durham in the British university championship.
Baxter said he could follow in the footsteps of the likes of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tom O'Flaherty, who have had Premiership success on the wing having been relative unknowns before moving to Sandy Park.
"People are aware of how close our links are with Exeter University," Baxter told 成人快手 Sport.
"I watch a lot of university games and we've got coaching staff involved and a couple of them were saying to me 'this guy stands out' in the BUCS [British Universities & Colleges Sport] competition as a real finisher, a strong guy, very fast, probably raw.
"I had a good look at him last season and we actually brought him in early last year to start the process, he was with us from Christmas on trial initially and then stayed with us."
Baxter added: "He's quick and he's big and he's strong and he's determined and he's professional and wants to learn.
"He's got all the raw ingredients to be a very, very good player."
Paul Brown-Bampoe scored a hat-trick on his first pre-season start this summer
Brown-Bampoe scored a hat-trick against Cornish Pirates in his first pre-season start for Exeter and backed it up with a try against Ospreys and another coming off the bench against Ulster last week.
It has thrust the winger, who spent time on loan at Exeter's National One neighbours Plymouth Albion last season, into the reckoning for a place in the squad for Chiefs' Premiership opener at home to Leicester Tigers on Saturday.
"Because of where he is physically, he just needs time on the field and that's where we've got to work really hard on it," Baxter said.
"With Paul we've either got to get him into the 23 or we've got to get him out playing somewhere - that's what he really needs to do - and probably spend a lot of time training here."
He added: "We've got to try and get that balance right for him, but right here and now he's very likely to be in and around our matchday 23 for Premiership games because of the way he's performed in pre-season.
"If a young player or new player comes in and deserves to be in there, regardless of whether we've got some concerns on whether they're quite ready for it or quite got all the experience they need, we tend to put them in."