Edinburgh Rugby sign South African loosehead prop Boan Venter

Edinburgh have signed Cheetahs loosehead prop Boan Venter who will be free to play for the club after a period in quarantine.

Edinburgh have signed South African prop Boan Venter from Toyota Cheetahs.

The South African, who arrived in Scotland on Friday, is isolating with his family for 10 days and will meet the squad once his Covid-19 requirements are complete.

Venter, 23, is from the Northern Cape and, at 6ft 2in and 124kg, will offer plenty of physical presence.

He was part of the Junior Springboks training squad ahead of the 2017 World Rugby U20 Championship and played for Toyota Free State XV in the 2018 SuperSport Rugby Challenge. He has since gained Guinness Pro14 experience with Cheetahs.

Venter will now provide a challenge to Edinburgh’s existing looseheads, Rory Sutherland and Pierre Schoeman.

His arrival at Edinburgh follows the departure last month of another loosehead, Jamie Bhatti, who moved to Bath on a short-term deal and has agreed to join Glasgow Warriors in the summer.

Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill said: “We’re delighted to add Boan to a strong stable of props at the club, creating real depth in an important area of the squad. Our scrum has developed into a real weapon for us and we’re keen to continue its improvement.

“In the past few of seasons we’ve seen our leading looseheads, Rory [Sutherland] and Pierre [Schoeman], attract widespread – and justified – praise. In the case of Rory – and potentially Pierre in time – that has also meant international selection for Scotland.

“It’s therefore important to bring in someone who’ll provide season-long competition and availability for us, while also maintaining a testing environment for good young props like Dan Gamble [19] and Sam Grahamslaw [21] to come up against and develop alongside.

“Boan is a great fit for our group and we’re looking forward to getting him started once he’s satisfied all the necessary travel and isolation requirements.”

Venter said: “I’m really excited. This is like a dream come true to move to a club like Edinburgh. I feel this is a great opportunity to express my God-given talents and to play for a club I have long admired.”

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