Former Bok hopeful Darrien Landsberg to join Exeter to kickstart Test career

Exeter Chiefs are poised to signal Black Knight Entertainment’s takeover at Sandy Park by announcing the arrival of Zimbabwe-born lock Darrien Landsberg from United Rugby Championship side the Lions.

Landsberg, who will be 28 in July, was knocking on Rassie Erasmus’ door last year for an invitation to the Springbok alignment camp taking place in Cape Town, but missed out and has now decided it’s time to head over to Europe.

Born in Zimbabwe but raised in Johannesburg, he is yet to win a Test cap for the country of his birth because he was chasing the dream of playing for the Boks, but the move to Sandy Park could open the door to lining up against England at the World Cup next year.

Landsberg, who is 6ft, 5in and weighs in at 17st, 6.71lb, can play in both lock positions and openside flanker, and is understood to have signed a two-year contract with the Chiefs, who last weekend were defeated in the Gallagher Prem final by Northampton Saints.

He has had interest from the Prem for the last couple of years and turned it down to stay in Johannesburg, but the arrival of Hyron Andrews from Sale Sharks will limit his chances, so the URC quarter-final defeat to Leinster will be the last of his 51 appearances for the club.

Landsberg, who started his career at the Golden Lions before a stint at the Pumas, is the second lock to leave the Lions after Ruben Schoeman joined fly-half Lubabalo Dobela in moving to Narbonne in France’s third-tier Nationale.

RugbyPass understands that the paperwork for Black Knight’s takeover has been signed and is due to be announced in the next couple of weeks, allowing Chiefs boss Rob Baxter to continue his summer shopping.

Baxter recently said he had room in his salary cap but had already spent his budget for next season, which he had hoped Black Knight would increase when they took control of the club.