Seeing that the Springbok coach is his girlfriend’s dad, André-Hugo Venter may just throw a few barbs in the Erasmus WhatsApp group about not making the Springbok squad for the November tour to the UK.
But the relaxed 23-year-old Stormers hooker may prefer to do his talking on the field, starting with Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against the Glasgow Warriors in Stellenbosch (1.45pm start).
Venter is the son of Bok legend André, who played with Rassie Erasmus for the Cheetahs and South Africa for many years.
After making his Test debut against Portugal this year, Venter is eager to feature for the world champions once more.
“Everybody is surprised (about being picked for the Boks): it doesn’t matter when it comes. I just had a massive smile on my face, and I’m really happy about it,” the young front-ranker said after practice in Bellville yesterday.
“It’s not so much shock, but just complete joy. It’s something you want to get back to.
“I was in matric when the 2019 World Cup was played, so growing up watching Malcolm (Marx) and Bongi (Mbonambi) play... Those guys are my heroes.
“Coach Jerry (Flannery, Bok assistant coach) has helped a lot with the lineout-throws, as he played hooker for Ireland.”
But after missing out on the 34-man squad announced this week for Tests against Scotland, England and Wales, the Maties student will hope to prove a point against the defending URC champions at the Danie Craven Stadium – with the Cape Town Stadium unavailable due to the upcoming World Sevens Series tournament.
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Venter’s pedigree has shone through since moving to the Western Cape in 2020 after matriculating from Grey College in Bloemfontein, as he will earn his 50th Stormers cap this weekend.
“It’s special for me. I’m really looking forward to the weekend. The family are coming down from Bloem to watch as well, so a really special occasion for me,” Venter said.
“The dream is to stay at one place and build up caps, and build a home at a place – and I am very happy at the Stormers.
“In 2019, I was in matric, and I came to study at Maties in 2020. I got the opportunity to play Varsity Cup, and then Covid came.
“I got a call from Coach Rito (Hlungwani), and he invited me to come train at the Stormers, and I played Under-21 rugby.
“I made my Stormers debut in 2021 against the Bulls at Loftus in the Rainbow Cup. From there, first season, I got good game-time, and I just built up until where we are now.
“There is so much one dreams for. We won the URC a few years ago, but that’s something you strive towards every year. I would love to be part of a Currie Cup-winning side as well.”
But the immediate business is the Glasgow fixture, where the Stormers will be aiming to build on last week’s impressive 34-19 bonus-point win over Munster following a difficult European tour.
The Scottish side are renowned for their lineout-contesting and driving mauls, and Venter will be in the thick of things trying to impose himself on the opposition, along with the likes of locks JD Schickerling and Ruben van Heerden.
“This is a massive game for us. We played the champions of the last two years over the last two weeks, so I don’t think we need any motivation going into this game. Being able to play in front of the fans is motivation enough,” Venter said.
“They are a very good contesting side and have a strong pack of forwards. They are a very well-coached side, with Coach Franco Smith there.
“The lineout errors from this past weekend were mostly because of ourselves, and I think we sorted that out in the week and hopefully continue with that 100 percent.
“(Schickerling’s presence) helps a lot in terms of giving you a bit of calmness, someone who creates a presence of believing in each other. JD and Ruben work out the menu for the weekend.”