Standing at 6ft 2in and weighing 124kg, the abrasive prop is a physical specimen who showcased serious ability in the loose while at Free State Stadium.

Hailing from South Africa’s Northern Cape, the loosehead prop has underscored his physical presence at scrum time from a young age, captaining the Griquas in South Africa’s Craven Week before being selected for the South Africa Schools’ side.

In 2017 he was named in the Junior Springboks training squad ahead of the World Rugby U20 Championship in Georgia and posted impressive performances 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 much improved, albeit Covid-curtailed, campaign.

Venter’s first try for the club was an important one. The prop surged over the whitewash in injury time to secure a 28-28 draw against Scarlets in June 2021.

Venter became the first prop to score a hat-trick for Edinburgh in the professional era, bagging a treble of tries against Ospreys at Swansea.com Stadium in January 2022.

The physical prop earned his 50th cap for the capital club against Connacht in the 2023/24 season, marking the occasion alongside friend and teammate Pierre Schoeman who ran out for his 100th.