'He's the hooker version of his dad - tough, high speed, intense'

Andre-Hugo Venter is being tipped for great things at the DHL Stormers after playing 13 games off the bench in their title-winning 2021/22 United Rugby Championship campaign. The son of legendary Springbok hardman Andre Venter, the recently-turned 21-year-old was a try-scorer in the final win over the Bulls in June.

The Test-playing Andre Venter checked in at 1.96m and 103kgs, playing the majority of his 66 South Africa matches as a blindside flank. Meanwhile, Andre-Hugo is 1.87m and 106kgs, a slugger in the front row who is making good on the family name in terms of his work ethic.

With a title medal now in his pocket following a string of impressive bench cameos, he is now looking to establish himself as a regular in the Stormers team after the awarding of a contract extension.

“You can’t really see his dad ever playing hooker,” said coach John Dobson when handing Venter his Stormers debut last season. “But he is the hooker version of his dad – tough, high speed, high aggression, intense work rate, very competitive.”

Venter attended the rugby academy that is Grey College where he played alongside Jan-Hendrik Wessels and George Cronje. After school, he enjoyed a debut Varsity Cup season in 2021, scoring four tries in one game against the University of the Western Cape.

A call-up and professional debut for the Stormers soon followed, Venter coming off the bench against the Vodacom Bulls in the Rainbow Cup match in 2021. While lauded for his ferocious ball-carrying, he boasted a 94 per cent tackle success rate in the URC last season.