Like a rumbling freight train emerging from a long, unseen tunnel, Boan Venter has come thundering into the Springbok squad, breaking through the mist of obscurity with the raw power of a loosehead prop who's been waiting for this moment his whole life.
When Rassie Erasmus trimmed the fat from his bloated 55-man training group to a leaner squad of 45 warriors for the forthcoming international campaign, most eyebrows were raised not by who was cut — but by who was called up.
The name “Boan Venter” was scribbled into South African rugby folklore on Sunday, a first-time selection that sent tremors across both hemispheres.
Venter, a product of the fertile rugby pastures of Bloemfontein, first ploughed his way into national conversation while donning the orange of the Toyota Cheetahs.
Built like a storm shelter and just as immovable, he showed early promise in the Junior Springbok setup back in 2017, before taking a less traditional route — heading north to Edinburgh in 2021.
And it's in the biting cold of Scotland where this South African oak has matured into solid timber.
In the United Rugby Championship and EPCR Challenge Cup, Venter has been anchoring the Edinburgh scrum like a seasoned sailor steering through stormy waters.
With a low centre of gravity, a granite neck, and thighs that could turn coal into diamonds, his scrummaging is destructive and deliberate. But he’s more than just a set-piece specialist — he's a modern-day prop who carries like a rhino with purpose, and defends like a flanker with a chip on his shoulder.
Boan has been consistent for Edinburgh... and he is familiar with the South African structures after playing for the Toyota Cheetahs and coming through our junior ranks.
We’re looking forward to seeing him in action.
Venter's call-up arrives as the Springbok machine shifts gears ahead of a demanding season. Injuries have chipped away at the depth in key positions: Lukhanyo Am, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cameron Hanekom, Gerhard Steenekamp and others will watch from the sidelines. But as the old saying in rugby goes — one man's limp is another man's leap.
While some stalwarts head back to their unions, the iron-clad Springbok forward pack continues to bristle with experience, and now, Venter has entered the laager. He joins a fearsome front row unit that reads like a hit list of world-class scrummagers: Ox Nche, Thomas du Toit, Wilco Louw, Vincent Koch, and Malcolm Marx.
Venter might be the new kid at the Bok table, but make no mistake — he's not here to carry tackle bags. He’s here to throw his weight behind the green-and-gold scrum, to prove that the thump of Scottish boots can still echo with the rhythm of Free State blood.
As the Boks prepare to open their account with a historic clash against the Barbarians at Cape Town Stadium on June 28, followed by Test matches against Italy and Georgia in July, Venter’s journey stands as a reminder: sometimes, it’s the late bloomers who carry the deepest roots.
This is no fairy tale. It’s a hard-earned rise from the Highveld to the Highlands and now to the hallowed halls of Springbok rugby. The uncapped prop from Edinburgh has battered down the door, and now it’s time for Boan Venter to show that he belongs among giants.
Full 45-Man Springbok Squad:
Forwards:
Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Neethling Fouche (DHL Stormers), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Emirates Lions), Evan Roos (DHL Stormers), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), **Boan Venter (Edinburgh)**, Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Backs:
Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe (both Emirates Lions), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks).
