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Gallagher-Prime Minister
Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter has confirmed an interest in the signing Cougars lock André Goedhals to bolster his injury-hit second row but says a deal is far from done.
Baxter says he has been looking to bring someone into his Sandy Park outfit since learning this summer that Italy star Andrea Zambonin faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines following shoulder surgery.
He also spoke with Currie Cup A move franchise 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 completed his education at the renowned Oakdale Agricultural High School.
He was highly rated as a schoolboy and won Springbok under-20 honors, but moved to the Pumas after fading and failing to live up to his early promise in the top flight Stormers setup.
But he 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 Griquas in Kimberley last month and Baxter says the ball is now in the Mbombela outfit’s court.
“To be honest with you. All I can say is we’ve been actively looking for a lock replacement, obviously, for Andre Zambonino since we knew he was going to miss a significant portion of the season, and we might be close to getting that done with Andrew.
“But I can’t say that everything is signed, sealed and delivered because that would be disrespectful to the Pumas because they are still making some decisions and the ball is still in their court and we are waiting for them to sort things out.
“And that’s why it’s actually a bit annoying because it seems a bit disrespectful to the Pumas. This is not trying to push things and speed things up. We’re waiting for the proper process to happen in South Africa,” he said.