Boan Venter is proving a valuable addition to the Lions, bringing muscle to their scrum and priceless inside knowledge as they prepare to face his former club, Edinburgh, in Friday night’s United Rugby Championship clash.
The Springbok loosehead prop joined the Lions in July after four seasons in Scotland, where he became an important member of the Edinburgh pack. Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt was displeased at his departure, but Venter wanted to return to South Africa to be closer to his family.
The Lions are certainly benefiting from his decision, both on and off the field.
Assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys revealed this week that Venter has been sharing his knowledge of Edinburgh’s players, coaches and playing conditions to help the Lions prepare for a tricky overseas assignment.
“He’s got some interesting insights — from knowing the players well, the coaches, the field, the environment and the weather well,” Redelinghuys said.
“Ja, he’s got some good opinions, which is helping us in our prep.”
One of Venter’s observations concerns the unpredictable Scottish weather, which can change the complexion of a match in the space of a half-time break.
“A comment he made is we’ll maybe be playing the first half and come out after half-time; the weather is totally different,” Redelinghuys said.
“With the recent Edinburgh-Stormers game, we saw that the wind was pumping in the first half and in the second half it died down.”
Venter’s experience will also come in handy because Friday’s match will be the Lions’ first on artificial turf this season.
The debate over synthetic surfaces has intensified in European rugby, with concerns about player welfare.
“We train on it in the weeks that we play on it, even though the guys will say that you need to manage the load because it is tough on the tendons,” he said.
“A guy like Boan, who’s played there, has some good insights as to what works and what doesn’t.”
The Lions do not have a particularly strong view on the wider debate, but Redelinghuys believes the faster conditions could suit their attacking ambitions.
“It is normally a bit faster, so the way we want to play, it suits us to a certain extent,” he said.
Venter’s most important contribution, however, is likely to come in the thick of the action.
The 29-year-old son of former Griquas great De Waal Venter has given the Lions the powerful loosehead prop they have been looking for — a player capable of making his presence felt in the scrum while also providing serious impact in the loose.
“He’s big, a 1.87m, 130kg loosehead,” Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen said with a smile. “He brings bulk, a bit of beef.
“Hardkoppig in Afrikaans is the way that he plays — physical and exciting in the loose, which fits our game well.”
Venter represented SA Schools against Italy, England and Wales before maturing to earn 10 Springbok caps.
He made his Lions debut in the Greatest Rivalry match against the All Blacks.
The Lions arrive in Scotland after their emotionally difficult 31-14 Champions Cup defeat by La Rochelle, a match they played after teammate Hyron Andrews’ death.
They sit seventh on the URC log after two home wins and an away defeat to the Bulls, and know points from Edinburgh and the Glasgow Warriors next week are important to their campaign.
Redelinghuys admitted refocusing after Andrews’ death has been difficult, but he has been impressed by the squad’s response.
“It’s tough circumstances to get that focus, but I’ve been really proud of the boys,” he said. “When it’s boots on, it’s switch on … be really connected, and do the job at hand.”