Wallabies prop Greg Holmes has signed with Premiership club Exeter Chiefs from 2016.

Holmes will play out his final season with the Queensland Reds in next year’s revamped Super Rugby tournament before heading off to England to join the Chiefs on a two-year deal. He has only ever played for the Reds in Super Rugby, featuring in 130 matches for the 2011 champions since his 2005 debut.

In his first three seasons with the Reds, Holmes featured in 13 matches for the Wallabies before being lost in the international wilderness for eight years. He nearly doubled that tally in his return season with the national side in 2015, and was an integral part of their World Cup campaign that saw them contest the final against New Zealand.

The 32-year-old is looking forward to the challenge in England and said he felt the time was right for him to move on.

‘It’s sad to go but I feel that it is my time,’ he said. ‘I was brought up here at Ballymore, it’s been my home for my whole career and I love this place. It’s going to be tough emotionally, especially when the time comes to wear the jersey for the last time. But I’ve had a special time as part of the Reds and I’m looking forward to making the most of the 2016 season.”  

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