Exeter poised to sign Italy star after Jake Gordon deal falls through

Exeter Chiefs are poised to announce that they are signing Italian scrum-half Stephen Varney, who left West Country rivals Gloucester for a short-term stint in France with Vannes earlier in the season.

Rob Baxter had been trying to sign Australia international Jake Gordon, but the move has fallen through, leaving the Chiefs boss desperately scrambling around to see who is available.

Baxter has admitted that he also spoke to former Chiefs star and Wallaby international Nic White about having a second spell at Sandy Park when his two-year deal with the Western Force runs out later this year.

“He’s starting to think about combining playing with coaching. We probably need a guy to come in and be absolutely flat-out.

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“And he is not quite ready for another couple of years of that. You might see him here in a coaching capacity someday,” Baxter recently told RugbyPass.

Baxter was also unsuccessful with a move for former England international Raffi Quirke, who opted to stay at Sale Sharks after the Devon-based outfit were gazumped at the very last minute with a deal in place.

Scrum-half has been a problem area for Baxter this season, and he has been struggling to get a deal across the line since Toulon blocked Scotland international Ben White from accepting a three-year deal.

White is under contract for another year, and Toulon are determined that he will stay on the Cote d’Azur until his contract runs out at the end of next season.

Italian international Varney, 23, was born in Carmarthen and has played eight times for Vannes this season, scoring two tries, and also crossed the whitewash as the Azzurri lost to Ireland in the Guinness Six Nations earlier this month.

RugbyPass understand that Varney, who started Italy’s recent defeat to England and played 65 times for Gloucester, has agreed on a one-year deal with the Chiefs. The deal will be unveiled on Thursday.