Ruan Venter lays down Springboks marker amid injury crisis
Rassie Erasmus is contending with a possible tighthead lock crisis as the Springboks’ international season draws nearer, with Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth and RG Snyman currently sidelined. The former pair may recover in time for the start of the season; the latter won’t. Either way, Erasmus needs to make alternative plans in a position where he stated they were short before the injuries occurred.
One of the names he put forward was JJ van der Mescht, who has subsequently earned an invite to the Springbok alignment camps; the other is Ruan Venter. The Lions star has played the majority of his senior rugby in the back row, but has the height, grunt, and lineout ability to slip into the locks, which he has done for his franchise.
In the week that news broke of Etzebeth’s injury, Venter has shot his hand up for selection with a barnstorming performance in the red jersey against the top-ranked team in the United Rugby Championship and a side renowned for their strength up front.
The 23-year-old was stationed in the blindside flanker role but the sheer workload he got through and the manner in which he dominated contact on both sides of the ball will have really impressed the Bok coaching team. He was effective at the breakdown too, pinching a crucial turnover which resulted in a try before the half-time break.
He pitched in with a try too, and frankly, the Bok coaches won’t have cared too much what number was on his back but rather his overall performance, which was simply sensational as he regularly dominated contact on both sides of the ball. He will surely be in the mix for the number four jersey as he aims to add to his single Test cap, but another positive is that he could easily play flank too, allowing for Pieter-Steph du Toit, if he is fit in time too, to slot into the second row.
He was not alone, though, as he was ably assisted by his brilliant back-rower partners Francke Horn and the ridiculously talented Sibabalwe Mahashe.