VIDEO: How Scotland 'dream' became a Green and Gold reality

Boan Venter always dreamed of playing international rugby.

In recent years, after not being able to get the attention of the Springbok selectors, he had set his sights on playing for Scotland as one of the standouts for Edinburgh.

Then, out of the blue, he received a call to join the Springboks squad as they prepared for their international season ahead, despite not having attended any of the Bok alignment camps.

This week, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus commented on the loosehead’s call-up, saying: “We have taken some big chances on players in the past, but we are reasonably sure he will make it.”

Venter’s inclusion is notable not only for his form in the URC and Challenge Cup, but also because it comes just two years after he publicly declared his desire to play for Scotland.

In 2023, he stated that it was his “dream” to follow in the footsteps of clubmates Pierre Schoeman, WP Nel, and Duhan van der Merwe by representing his adopted country, Scotland.

“It’s five years to be qualified, so I’m looking forward to that,” he said at the time.

“From being a young boy, it has been my dream to play international rugby. The dream is there.”

Having joined Edinburgh from the Cheetahs in early 2021, Venter would have become eligible for Scotland via the five-year residency rule in February 2026.

He had previously signed a contract extension with Edinburgh through to the end of the 2025/26 season, further reinforcing his apparent commitment to Scottish rugby.

On Wednesday, Erasmus refuted the idea that Venter was only picked to stop him from being eligible for Scotland.

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Instead, injuries to loosehead props Gerhard Steenekamp and Ntuthuko Mchunu swayed the decision to invite him to join the Bok squad.

Steenekamp is recovering from complications following a knee injury.

The Bulls’ loosehead enjoyed a breakout year in 2024, with a series of impressive performances for the Bulls leading to his Springbok debut and a series of strong performances in Green and Gold.

The 28-year-old didn’t feature for the Pretoria outfit since early March when he suffered a knee injury that led to some unfortunate complications following a minor procedure.

Mchunu is set to leave the Sharks and link up with his new team, the Stormers, as of July 1.

“We didn’t select him to block him from playing for Scotland,” Erasmus said of Venter.

“That didn’t have an influence.

“It is nicer for us to see guys like Duhan [van der Merwe] play for Scotland, because he probably would not have gotten a chance from us.

“So, why would you choose a guy to block him?”

“We looked at who was the next loosehead in line, and he [Venter] was on our radar,” the coach explained.

“We lost Kitsie [Steven Kitshoff], he finished, and we thought he would go on for a bit longer.

“Gerhard is a bit of an unknown, but with Ox, they were our top three looseheads.

“Yes, Thomas [du Toit] isn’t a baby anymore. He can play loosehead, but he plays tighthead.

“Jan-Hendrik is also not the most experienced Test player, so we only have Ox.”

Erasmus added that Venter would most likely only be considered for the Georgia Test because Wessels and Nche are the top two looseheads in the group.

Ultimately, Venter’s inclusion signals a change in his desire to represent the country of his birth, and accepting the Springbok invitation places him on a path that would likely rule out any future involvement with Scotland.