Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter has confirmed interest in signing Pumas lock André Goedhals to strengthen his injury-hit second row, but says the deal is far from done.

Baxter says he has been looking to bring someone into his Sandy Park outfit since learning in the summer that Italian star Andrea Zambonin faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines after a shoulder operation.

He has also spoken with the Currie Cup franchise about a move for Goedhals, who holds a British passport after being born in Devon while his parents lived and worked in England, making him English-qualified.
Goedhals, 21, settled in Riversdale, a farming community in the Western Cape, where he finished his schooling at the renowned Oakdale Agricultural High School.

He was highly rated as a schoolboy and won Springbok under-20 honours but moved to the Pumas after fading and failing to live up to his early promise in the highly competitive Stormers setup.

But he has caught the eye for the Pumas in the Currie Cup this season and was part of the side that lost the final 23-16 to the Griquas in Kimberley last month, and Baxter says the ball is now in the Mbombela-based side’s court.

“If I’m honest with you. All I can say is we’ve been actively looking for a lock replacement, obviously, for Andre Zambonin since we knew he’d miss a significant part of the season, and we may be close to getting that done with Andrew.

“But I can’t say that everything’s signed, sealed, and delivered because that would be disrespectful to the Pumas because they’re still making some decisions, and the ball is still in their court, and we’re waiting on them to okay things.

“And that’s why it’s, actually, a little annoying because it seems a little disrespectful to the Pumas. This isn’t trying to push things through and make things happen any quicker. We’re waiting for the proper process to happen in South Africa,” he said.