EXETER Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter has admitted England-qualified player (EQP) regulations are likely to pave the way for Wales international Christ Tshiunza to return to Cardiff when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The 24-year-old flanker is poised to move back to the Welsh capital after reportedly rejecting offers from other Gallagher Premiership clubs. He is understood to be a target for Cardiff as a replacement for Ben Donnell, who is heading to Ulster.

Tshiunza, who was born in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and attended Whitchurch High School in Cardiff, previously spent time in Cardiff’s academy before joining Exeter via the University of Exeter. He went on to break into the Wales squad in 2021 and has since won 13 caps, featuring at the Rugby World Cup.

However, his progress has been hampered by injury. He missed the 2022 Six Nations and has played just three times this season. A recurring foot problem has kept him sidelined since September, although he has recently returned to running.

Baxter confirmed Tshiunza has not signed a new deal at Sandy Park.

“He is off contract at the end of this season with us, and we haven’t re-signed him. So those rumours could be entirely true, but I couldn’t tell you if they are,” he said.

The Chiefs boss made clear that Premiership regulations are a significant factor. Clubs must maintain an average of 15 England-qualified players in their 23-man matchday squad across the season or face a £250,000 fine.

“Our EQP numbers are quite tight and making sure that we have that balance in the squad is very, very important that we keep the funding for the EQP balance,” Baxter said.

“With the makeup of our forwards, and players like Bachuki Tchumbadze and Nika Abuladze, who are non-EQP, plus Andrea Zambonin, Daf Jenkins and Tom Hooper going well, we start to fill up our non-EQP quota pretty quickly.

“That’s the challenge with keeping Christ. We have to hit an average of 15 across the season.”

With squad balance and finances in mind, Tshiunza’s Exeter future appears increasingly uncertain.