Venter
André Venter is a retired South African rugby union player who is considered amongst the all-time rugby greats. Learn more about his career here with RugbyPass.
André Venter Bio
André Venter is considered by fans, coaches and players alike to be one of the greats of the game. The now-retired flanker is remembered fondly for his commanding presence and powerful forward play for both club and country.
Born in Vereeniging, South Africa in November 1970, André Venter spent the majority of his professional club career with Free State Cheetahs, playing in the Currie Cup and making over 100 appearances for the side in the process.
André Venter played for the Springboks from 1996 to 2001 and earned 66 caps scoring a total of 45 points. He made his debut against New Zealand in August 1996 and scored his first try in a test match against Argentina in November that same year. At one point he was amongst the most capped South African rugby union players and a notable career highlight for him came in 1999 where he helped the side to a third-place finish in the Rugby World Cup of that year. Venter played his final test match against the USA in December 2001.
He announced his retirement from playing rugby in late 2001 at the relatively young age of 31 - which at the time came as a shock to both the club and the fanbase. However, it was shortly revealed afterwards that he was diagnosed with a degenerative syndrome of the central nervous system. This is something André Venter is still battling to this day and it has caused damage to his spine and subsequent paralysis.
André Venter’s son – the similarly named Andre-Hugo Venter – is also a rugby union player and is a promising up-and-coming hooker.
