ROB Baxter believes there is still room for improvement in Dan John after the young back today agreed a new contract with the Exeter Chiefs.

The 23-year-old is the latest name to pledge his future to the Chiefs, who this Saturday entertain Newcastle Falcons in their latest Gallagher Premiership fixture at Sandy Park (3pm).

John, who is the son of former Wales scrum-half Paul, has to date made 19 appearances for the Devon club, scoring two tries in the process.

This season, however, has been one of frustration for the player himself as hamstring injuries have restricted him to just two appearances, the latest of which came in last Saturday’s loss at Bristol Bears.

Baxter, though, has seen enough from John - who has also spent time with the Cornish Pirates on dual-registered terms - to reward him with a new deal.

“Dan really started to impress towards the tail end of last season,” said the Chiefs’ Director of Rugby. “When we’ve been looking to introduce him into the team and him having opportunities, he’s actually picked up a couple of niggling injuries over the course of the season.

“He’s still a guy we see fitting into our back three, he gives us some strength in depth there going forward. He’s a young player who we feel is still improving, so all of those things are good indicators for us that it would be good to keep him around.

“I think he also becomes EQP (English-qualified player) at some stage this season as well, which is obviously another benefit to us, so there’s lots of reasons for us to keep working with him and for him to be an ambitious part of our plans going forward.”

Already a trophy winner with the Chiefs, he helped them defeat London Irish to lift the Premiership Rugby Cup in 2023, the former Welsh age-grade talent is delighted to be prolonging his stay in Exeter.

“It feels brilliant to be staying at the club,” John said. “I’m really excited to enjoy another season with the boys, and it’s a pleasure to re-sign with such a great club.

“I’ve spent a lot of years here now, so I’m delighted to stay. It’s nice to see that other boys are sticking around as well, especially around about my age, as we’re looking to really build on this group to be able to push on in the next couple of seasons.”

Meanwhile, Exeter Chiefs Women have confirmed that Irish international Dorothy Wall and New Zealander Liv McGoverne have both signed new deals with the club.

Assistant coach Steve Salvin said: “Doro has been a revelation since she joined us. Her professional approach to her game is fantastic and her drive to improve is a pleasure to watch.

“Liv has shown her value at both 10 and 12 this season and has brought both attacking creativity and defensive physicality. Her kicking game is constantly improving and her laid-back manner has a great influence on the group.”