Former Junior Springbok prop joins Edinburgh, says it's a 'dream come true'

New Edinburgh signing Boan Venter has described the move to Scotland as “like a dream come true”. The 23-year-old arrived in the capital last Friday and will isolate with his family for 10 days.

The loosehead prop from South Africa’s Northern Cape was named in the Junior Springboks training squad in 2017 ahead of the World Rugby Under-20s Championship in Georgia and featured for the Toyota Free State XV in the 2018 SuperSport Rugby Challenge.

A year later he made his breakthrough in the 2019/20 Guinness PRO14 season, featuring in all 13 matches of the South African side’s Covid-curtailed campaign.

Venter told Edinburgh’s official website: “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. I know that Edinburgh has a really professional set-up as well as great coaching, a great brand of rugby and has some really proud and passionate supporters. It always seemed like there was a great vibe there.

“From a front-row perspective, it makes me really excited knowing I’m joining a dominant scrummaging pack. It’s an aspect of the game I love, and feel is one of my strengths.

“I’m really looking forward to learning, growing and contributing to the best of my ability and will strive to offer the club dominance and stability in set-piece and some excitement with ball in hand and on defence.”

Edinburgh head 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 and Sam Grahamslaw 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.”

He will join the rugby programme and meet the squad once his Covid-19 requirements are complete.