EDINBURGH RUGBY have announced the recruitment of teenage centre Jordan Venter, who will arrive in the Scottish capital in December after the conclusion of the South African academic year.
The 17-year-old will join the club directly from the renowned rugby nursery of Paul Roos Gymnasium School in Stellenbosch, having been born and raised in the Western Cape town of George, where current Edinburgh winger Duhan van der Merwe also spent his formative years. Other South African born players currently on the staff at Edinburgh are WP Nel, Pierre Schoeman, Mike Willemse, Nic Groom, Jaco van Der Walt and Jason Baggott.
“Jordan is a young, athletic centre with bags of potential. We have kept a close eye on his school career and he’ll be a welcome addition to the squad next season,” said Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill.
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Venter said: “I’m very humbled by the opportunity to join Edinburgh. I’m still a young man with lots to learn, so getting the chance to develop my own game overseas is the best decision for my rugby career.
“Edinburgh, as a city and as a club, has so much heritage and tradition. While the coaching staff and squad there are phenomenal. I’ve also got a good relationship with some of the South African players already there, so it will make for an easy transition when I make the move to Scotland.”
Venter was vice-captain of the South Africa under-18 Sevens side which won last month’s Capricorn Group Sevens Rugby Tournament in Namibia.
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good luck to the lad but allocating a scarce and expensive pro 14 berth to a South African schoolboy obviously reduces the opportunities for developing Scotland’s own school talent
What – other than not be a Scot playing in Scotland – does a young player have to do to get a contract with Edinburgh?
I have nothing against recruiting X-factor players” such as Bill Mata, but, to ignore the many good young Scottish players we have in our game, to recruit a teenaged Saffer – I think Cockerill is ‘avin’ a larf.