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Ethan Burger's journey from almost quitting rugby to Exeter Chiefs stardom “They took a chance on me. If it wasn’t for that, I probably would’ve gone into teaching." In the space of a year, Ethan Burger went from making his Exeter Chiefs debut to taking the field in the 2026 Gallagher PREM Final. The South African prop joined the Chiefs in October 2024 having previously as a prop forward for university side Tuks Rugby. But the 26-year-old didn't feature at all for Rob Baxter's men in his first 12 months in Devon, spending time on loan at Plymouth Albion. Before joining Exeter, Burger was contemplating throwing the towel in on rugby, and his first year at the club didn't go as planned. But after debuting against Bristol Bears in October 2025, he made 20 appearances, including coming on off the bench in the PREM Rugby final as Chiefs were beaten 26-17 by Northampton Saints. “I’m extremely excited," Burger said to Exeter Chiefs ' website when reflecting on the season. "When the final whistle blew and the final was over, I actually didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want the off-season break. I wanted to keep playing. “I was loving playing so much. Being involved in the team and in those big moments, you just get so attached to it. Week to week, I was learning so much and credit to the likes of Scott Sio who helped me a huge amount. I honestly loved every second of last season. “Coming into pre-season is a little different with the internationals not being back yet, but that’ll just add a new element to things. It’s kind of weird thinking the likes of Nika [Abuladze] is going to come in and I’ll be mates with him but I’m also going to be competing for the same shirt. It’s exciting though. “It sounds cliché but having competition is one of the best things for the team, because we drive each other and make one another better. I’m looking forward to this season.” He added: "From the player I was at the start of last season making my debut, compared to the end, I think that’s two completely different players. “With the amount of game time I was fortunate enough to get, through the backing of the coaches, there were so many opportunities for growth and to the best of my ability I tried to use them. “I think I grew a lot as a player. You don’t see that coming and you can’t really prepare for it, it just happens. It was such a rollercoaster of a season, the highs and lows, but I kind of just went with it! I was so privileged and grateful to be a part of it. It’s all you dream of to be a part of a team like this. It was an eye opener of a season as to what this sport can really be.” It’s quite the career progression for a 26-year-old player that the year prior to signing for Chiefs, was honestly contemplating throwing the towel in on rugby. Burger said: “I think I would have carried on playing, but only at a casual or social level. I was finishing university back in South Africa and it was my wife who said to me ‘shall we try to find you a new agent?’ because at the time I didn’t have one. It was them who helped me get a gig here at Exeter, contacting Ross [McMillan] who had first spotted me when he was a coach at London Irish. “They took a chance on me. If it wasn’t for that, I probably would’ve gone into teaching. If I didn’t hack it at professional level, I probably would’ve gone into club rugby back home. It’s hard to say but it would’ve all been up in the air for me if I hadn’t come here.” The commitment Burger has shown since arriving in 2024 was rewarded earlier this year when in April he signed a contract extension. In the announcement, director of rugby Rob Baxter described the prop as “dynamic and powerful” and a player who was “clearly improving with each minute he spends on the field”. Burger says that belief being bestowed in him means a great deal. He added: “It’s everything. Everyone knows who Rob Baxter is, so to have someone like him say those types of things means he really backs you. When you’re here you learn that things are pretty straight forward, they’ll say it like it is. “I want to be a player that’s referred to like that. I know I have it in me. I want to be able to be that game changer, someone who can set the tone on attack or defence. I’ll back myself to be that person to create momentum when we’re on the ball or be super solid on defence, whatever the team needs.” There is a season full of potential which now awaits, with 30 regular season games in the calendar for Burger to continue his positive momentum. One thing is for certain, he is just one part of a team determined to get back to the grand stage of a final. Burger said: “I definitely think last year lit more of a fire in us. There’s still that chip on the shoulder now almost. Credit to [Northampton] Saints, they played well and were deserved winners after being one of the strongest teams throughout the entire season. The year that we’d had though, I think we had more in us in that final, and we know that. “That’s the beauty of rugby though, this season we get to go again. We’re putting in the hard work. We know what we’re capable of and what got away from us. “I think going into this season, there’s still a slight underlying underdog mentally. It seemed a theme of last year that nobody backed us, but we don’t really mind that because we’re just going to go out and do what we do. Nothing is really going to change for us. “Going forward, we’re so hungry to get that win. And not just in one competition. We know what we expect of ourselves in all competitions.”