Sam Simmonds

Sam Simmonds scored 21 tries in 23 Premiership matches in 2020-21. The previous record was 16, held jointly by Christian Wade and Dominic Chapman, both wings. Simmonds is a back-row forward.

He plays at No. 8 and flanker for Lyon, is 1.84m and 108kg, and was born in Torquay on 10 November 1994.

His father David is a fisherman and his mother Nicola a hairdresser. He grew up in Teignmouth and started at the town club, wanting to be a footballer until Devon selected him at fourteen. Exeter took him into the academy at seventeen, where he weighed 85kg and did twice the weight training of everyone else. His younger brother Joe plays for Pau.

Exeter loaned him to Plymouth Albion and then to the Cornish Pirates for two seasons. He came back mid-2016-17, made his Premiership debut against Wasps in February and was man of the match, scored the winning try off the bench in the semi-final against Saracens, and came on in the final Exeter won.

England capped him against Argentina on 11 November 2017. He scored twice against Italy in the 2018 Six Nations. A knee ligament injury took six months out of 2018-19 and he was left out of the World Cup squad.

The 2019-20 season was the peak. He started and scored in the European Cup final Exeter won 31-27 against Racing 92, finished the competition as its leading try-scorer with eight, and was named European Player of the Year. Joe was the tournament’s leading points scorer. Exeter completed the double.

The Lions took him to South Africa in 2021 and he played once against the Springboks, replacing Jack Conan. England recalled him that autumn after three years away, and he played the whole of the 2022 Six Nations.

Montpellier signed him in 2023 to replace Zach Mercer. It made him ineligible for England, and he turned down Steve Borthwick’s World Cup selection to go. He joined Lyon this season.

He is Exeter’s leading try-scorer of all time, with 85.