VIDEO: Why Boan chose Boks over Scots
VIDEO: Boan Venter has been a stand-out performer for Scotland’s Edinburgh side since he joined them in 2021 and was touted to break into the Scotland squad, but one call from the Springbok coach changed the whole trajectory of his career.
The 28-year-old prop scored on debut for South Africa as the Springboks defeated Georgia 55-10 in Mbombela last weekend.
He crossed the try line just eight minutes into his first appearance, helping the world champions recover after Georgia had taken an early lead.
Having missed the two-test series win over Italy, Venter was given a chance in a completely uncapped front row, alongside Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouche.
He powered over from close range during South Africa’s first meaningful attack and delivered an energetic performance.
He will now hope to be involved in the Rugby Championship as South Africa take on New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.
But this career path hasn’t been on the cards for Venter in recent years which prompted him to work towards eligibility to play for Scotland.
He joined Edinburgh from the Cheetahs in 2021 and had been eligible to qualify for Scotland via residency ahead of the 2026 Six Nations.
However, his inclusion in the Bok starting lineup ends any speculation about where his allegiance lies.
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Venter is into the final year of his Edinburgh contract and given Scottish Rugby’s moves towards prioritising Scottish-qualified players, it will be fascinating to see how his Springboks debut impacts his future at the club.
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has addressed Venter’s decision to represent South Africa over Scotland and labelled him “one of the best players” in the United Rugby Championship (URC) across the last few seasons.
Hailing from the Northern Cape, he was born to be a hard man in the scrums, and he proved this at junior level.
Venter, the son of the Griquas great, De Waal Venter, captained the Griquas at Craven Week before impressing enough to be selected for the South African Schools’ side to face Italy, England, and Wales.
In 2017 he was named in the Junior Springboks training squad for the World Rugby Under-20 Championship which was hosted in Georgia. He didn’t make the final squad for the tournament, and many feel he can consider himself unlucky.
Sitting down with reporters after the game against Georgia on Saturday, it was so clear to see just how much his debut and try for the Springbok meant to the young prop forward.
Smiling from ear to ear, he dismissed any notion that he had second thoughts about donning the Green and Gold instead of working towards a Scotland berth.
“From a young boy playing rugby at six or seven years old, it’s every South African’s dream to play for the Springboks, so when I got that call, it was pretty much a no brainer for me,” he stated emphatically.
“At the end of the day what counts is that we are here and it was so great to slot into this group.
“Everyone was so welcoming and helped us hit the ground running,” Venter said.
The new additional to the Bok squad says he was welcomed with open arms when he arrived in South Africa.
“Since the team was announced we felt the support of the whole group.”
Asked about his first taste of Test rugby, against the might of the Georgians, he said the experienced pack made it easier.
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We took a closer look at the Springbok performance in Mbombela🔍
Head to the comments to find out who were the top performers from tonight’s outing against Georgia👇#RSAvGEO #Springboks #Bokke pic.twitter.com/IM7DIJnlPN
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) July 19, 2025
“We jokingly call the back five the V8, and you can feel the power coming through.
“As a group, we are quite tight and try to pick each other up and be supportive, and it played a massive role in giving us confidence leading up to the game.
“It’s a level up from club rugby. Not much in terms of due process but it’s definitely a level up. I wouldn’t say it surprised me, it was just nice to again how big rugby is in South Africa.
“It’s quite inspirational to see a whole nation get behind a team and I they know how much that support means to the team.”
