I obviously never saw him before he came to NZ, but it wouldn't surprise me if this was the case. The first year he was in NZ he could only make the Canterbury B squad, so was obviously not that highly rated (he was behind players like Luke Katene, who is average ITM Cup player at best). Last year he made much more of an impact, and certainly deserved his place in the Chiefs squad. Apparently he broke a number of Chiefs fitness test records (and it shows the way he plays) - he's obviously always been an incredible physical specimen, I wonder whether he's only recently developed his core rugby skills (as he took a few years off rugby for his rowing...).
It is disappointing for the Rebels that Pyle is leaving. Like others I think he has been unlucky not to have a few Wallabies caps by now.