‘It sounds cocky but I knew URC win was in the pipeline’ - Glasgow Warriors player reveals key to success

The back-row forward, who joined the club last summer from the Sharks in his native South African, was already well known to Franco Smith, the Glasgow coach. Venter worked under Smith at the Free State Cheetahs and their affiliated Super Rugby side, the Cheetahs, back in Bloemfontein and their time together convinced the player that success with Glasgow was a matter of when not if.

“It would sound cocky if I say I thought we were going to win,” the affable Venter says of Glasgow’s URC success. “But knowing Franco and winning with him beforehand, everywhere I played with him we won. So I knew it was in the pipeline, just a matter of time.”

The Warriors have reaped the benefits of Venter’s reunion with Smith. The flanker/No 8 featured in 17 of the club’s 21 URC games, including playing a key role off the bench in the 21-16 victory over the Bulls in the final at Loftus Versfeld. Winning in his homeland made it extra special for Venter but he believes the seeds for the success were sown in Dublin a year earlier, before he joined the club. He points to Glasgow’s defeat by Toulon in the European Challenge Cup final at the Aviva as a key stepping stone on their path to URC glory.

“In the first year [under Smith] we were playing in the final and losing against Toulon. The guys, they felt that, the final. And I think losing primed everyone and everyone knew the feeling and what to expect.”

Success breeds success and Venter, 32, believes Glasgow need to now kick on. They begin the defence of their URC title against Ulster in Belfast on September 21 and are also keen to make an impression on this season's Champions Cup. Venter thinks the way the squad won the URC semi-final and final, against Munster and Bulls, on their rivals’ home grounds has shown they have what it takes to win tough European ties on the road.

“There are two trophies and we only won one,” he said. “So I think that whole dream - guys start believing more in it. And you believe you can achieve anything. I think if you want to be the best, you want to win both competitions. So definitely that’s the big goal and what we work for.

“You have to win away from home in the European Cup. So for us to grind out those games and see how to do it - I think Jack Dempsey said it, we went to hell and back.

“I think he summed it up. And I think we must be able and prepared to go there again. I think that's what Leinster, in their prime years of winning everything, that's what they could have, year after year after year.

“So he summed it up perfectly actually for me. As we go forward in this year, there's some games, especially with how the games are structured and there's no breaks in between, we must just be prepared to go there [to hell] every week.”

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