Fourteen years ago, I travelled to Bloemfontein to hear André Venter’s story. The former Springbok flanker outlined the events that had led to a diagnosis of transverse myelitis, and spoke about how much his life had changed since he’d been confined to a wheelchair.

However, the warrior spirit that had defined Venter as a Test player between 1996 and 2001 was still prominent. “I haven’t given up, I truly believe that I will walk again,” he said.

After elaborating on the condition and his quest for a cure, he spoke about the philosophy that he was passing down to his children, André-Hugo and Annabel. At that stage, André-Hugo was the captain of the U9 C team at Grey College – the South African rugby factory that has produced 46 Springboks to date.

“There’s no pressure on him to become a Springbok player,” Venter Snr said at the time. “As long as he’s a Springbok in his heart, I will be happy.”

André Venter greets former Boks captain Gary Teichmann in Pretoria in 2010 (Foto24/Getty Images)

Fast-forward to the present, where Venter Jnr is one of the most promising young players in South Africa – and on the verge of winning his first Test cap.

The Stormers hooker is one of seven uncapped players in the match-day 23 to face Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday (4pm, live on Sky Sports). Assuming he appears off the bench, he and André will become the 16^th father-son combination to play for the Boks.

After winning the United Rugby Championship title with the Stormers in 2022, Venter Jnr was selected for the national team’s tour to Europe, and featured for the South Africa A side against Munster and the Bristol Bears.

Earlier this year, the 22-year-old was invited to the first Springbok alignment camp of the season. Head coach Rassie Erasmus is looking to bolster the world champions’ front-row stocks, and now Venter Jnr will be unleashed.

Physical comparisons have been made between the father and son since the latter joined the pro ranks. When you speak to both players in question, they prefer to focus on mental traits. Evidently the Venter warrior spirit has been passed down to the next generation.

“It’s funny that you mention that comment about ‘being a Springbok in your own heart’,” Venter Jnr says. “Those words were hammered into us from an early age. My dad views the Springbok emblem as the golden standard and he uses it as a metaphor for other parts of life. He taught us to do our best, in whatever we choose to do.

André-Hugo Venter celebrates the DHL Stormers’ URC final victory over the Bulls two years ago (Inpho)

“While he’s never put any pressure on me to be a rugby player, he’s always pushed me to excel at academics. He wasn’t happy when I failed a couple of university modules recently,” the Accounting Management student adds with a laugh.

“That’s the standard he sets: whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability – and know that it can all be taken away in an instant.”

Venter Jnr was five years old when his father was diagnosed with transverse myelitis in 2006. The rare neurological disorder is caused by an inflammatory process of the grey and white matter of the spinal cord, and affects one in five million people.

The Springbok flanker refused to accept defeat, and channelled much of his energy into his rehabilitation. At the same time, he continued to work at his tech company in Bloemfontein and to see to the needs of his young family.

“The idea of my dad as a rugby player – and the relentless and aggressive way that he played – was built up in my mind after listening to other people,” Venter Jnr remembers. “I still hear some stories today, now that I’m a player, and I realise that I’m nowhere near that level.

Preparing to throw into a Stormers lineout against La Rochelle in the Champions Cup last season (Inpho)

“One of the recurring themes is fitness, as he was one of the fittest guys of that era. Naturally, I’ve tried to get to that level and bring that kind of intensity to my game. It’s one of those things that you have to get right on your own.

“He never pushes me but he supports me. When I was younger, I’d hit the road for a jog and my dad would ride behind me in his wheelchair, shouting encouragement.”

Despite his best efforts to find a cure, Venter Snr’s condition remains unchanged. Fortunately, his spirit not been dented by setbacks. Even now, he believes he’ll walk again.

Andre Venter won 66 caps from 1996-2001 (Getty Images)

When asked to comment about Venter Jnr’s journey from the U9 C team to the Springboks, and the role he has played, he veers all credit to his wife Lizelle.

“She would drive him to training sessions when I could not. She’d take him out to the field and throw balls for him when I could not. Overall, she’s made the biggest impact and is very much the anchor of our family. I got to do all the cool stuff, like ride behind him in my wheelchair!

“André-Hugo was committed from the outset; again, that comes from my wife, who is a very disciplined and driven person. It sounds like a cliché but it was a real team effort raising our kids.”

As Venter Jnr matured, he began to understand what his dad had been through. His mother helped to put the ordeal into perspective.

“A couple of years ago, I asked why he took so long to come back from the hospital. I was referring to when he’d spent eight months in rehabilitation. Apparently he stayed an extra four months because he refused to give up. When I asked him that, my mother answered for him. She said that it wasn’t easy for my dad to accept that he hadn’t won the battle.

“That has always stuck with me. I never saw him cry or complain about it. He’d always tell me that there was no point complaining about something that you can’t control. You have to keep fighting and believing.

“Even now, he hasn’t given up. The world of medicine has come a long way, and who knows what the future will bring. He still believes that the answer will come, and I do too.”

Venter Jnr realised one of his greatest ambitions when he was invited to a Springbok alignment camp in March. Venter Snr was thrilled by the news, although he knows that this is only the first step on a long and challenging journey.

Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx have won back-to-back World Cups and were in tandem again during the recent drawn series against Ireland. But new hookers must be blooded, as we will see on Saturday when both Venter Jnr and Johan Grobbelaar of the Bulls, who starts in the No 2 shirt, should both win their first caps.

Bongi Mbonambi was the starting hooker for South Africa’s drawn series with Ireland this month (Inpho)

Venter Snr points out that his son shouldn’t take anything for granted. While he’s proven himself at URC level, Test rugby is a significant step up.

“The margins are so fine – not only in terms of who wins the big matches but in terms of who makes it to the highest level. You need to give everything to fulfil your potential.

“I’m not a coach, so I don’t presume to coach him. The game has changed so much over the past 20 years, and sometimes I need him to fill me in on the more technical details. He does ask for feedback, though, and I can comment on things like attitude and work-rate, because those things never change.”

Like his father before him, Venter Jnr has had to earn every opportunity that has come his way. Nevertheless, there are a few conspiracy theorists who have pointed out that Venter Snr played alongside Erasmus at Free State and the Boks in the 1990s, and that Venter Jnr is currently dating Erasmus’s daughter Nikki. After connecting the red strings on the conspiracy wall, they’ve concluded that Venter Jnr is a ‘nepotism’ selection.

Few have taken these claims seriously, but it must sting to know that these perceptions exist among some of the fans.

“We’ve been going out for three years, so I’m not sure why this is coming up now,” says Venter Jnr. “Some people have tried to make more out of it, but the reality is that our relationship is about the two of us and not about who our parents are.”

The couple flew to the Rugby World Cup last year to watch the Springboks tackle Ireland in Paris. The experience of watching and following the national side has only strengthened his desire to reach the next level.

“I remember coming home and seeing what those performances had done for South Africa,” he says. “We saw that four years earlier, when they won the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Venter Jnr carries in a URC match against Zebre Parma. Now he’s ready to step up to Test rugby (Inpho)

“I watched the Chasing the Sun documentary, and like every other viewer I got the chance to see the human side of the coaches and the players, and to hear about what they were fighting for. It was inspiring.

“We’ve tried to do something similar for the Stormers here in Cape Town. We want to put smiles on the faces of the fans, and to draw from that energy. It’s great to be part of that culture and I’d be proud to be part of the Springbok culture, too.”

The Boks made history when they beat New Zealand in the final to claim a record fourth World Cup title. Venter Snr made it up to Paris for that fixture and broke a record of his own.

“It was the first time I’d travelled on an international flight since I got my wheelchair back in 2006,” he says. “It required a big mindset shift to make that journey, but again I have to credit my wife for encouraging me.”

Would he travel to Australia in 2027 to watch the Boks as they attempt to complete an unprecedented hat-trick of titles? There’s a chance that his son will be part of the squad selected for that global tournament.

He says that he’d love to be there, that he’d love to see his son in action. Almost immediately, he reiterates the point about fighting for every inch and earning your opportunities.

Clearly the Venters know no other way.

Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.

Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X