This time last year, Henco Venter was looking on with interest from afar as Franco Smith took charge of Glasgow Warriors. Having been coached by his fellow-South African in university competition, the back-row forward was sure that Smith would find success at Scotstoun - and so it turned out, as the Warriors reached the Challenge Cup final and the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals.
What Venter did not know then was that by the end of the campaign he would have agreed to leave the Sharks and join Smith in Glasgow for the coming season. When the call did come, though, he jumped at the chance to be reunited with the former Springbok.
Now, as he prepares for a probable debut in Sunday’s home URC match against Leinster, the 31-year-old is confident that last season was only the start, and that the Warriors - who will compete in the Champions Cup this year - can be transformed from contenders into winners. “My ambition for my time here is to win the competitions,” Venter explained. “It’s past the point of just competing.
“With Glasgow being in the final last year, that gave a bit of a taste for everyone. And I think that will prepare the guys better for this year. Nothing will be new for us.
“We know how to get there. We got there, we didn’t win it, so now we must just get that last hurdle. I think it’s going to be an interesting year.
“We have a good squad. I think the club is in a good place. You need a lot of players to win both competitions and we have that, so I must say I’m very excited.”
Such assertiveness may sound brash compared to the more diffident predictions of those many players and coaches who hate being made hostages to fortune by suggesting their teams will lift silverware. But far from being born of personal arrogance, it stems from Venter’s unshakable belief in Smith’s ability to inspire his squad.
“I knew when he came here he was going to make a difference,” he explained. “As the team grew and grew through the year last year, a lot of people wanted to be a part of it: they can see something special was happening.”
So when Smith’s number came up on his phone, and he realised there was going to be a job offer, he had no hesitation in deciding it was the right move for him. “I thought, ‘Let’s go! This is good news.’
“I definitely wanted to come when I saw he was coaching the team. I’ve just always believed in what he does. I was definitely very keen.”
Asked what it is that makes Smith a successful coach who he was so keen to play for again, Venter continued: “I think just the way he thinks about the game, and as a person. We are basically going to war every weekend, so you need someone who will tell you to keep your back straight. Some people don’t like it, but I feel it’s necessary in rugby to have someone to tell you because otherwise complacency gets in the way.
“It doesn’t help if we are a bunch of sheep who go in any direction. We need to go somewhere, and to do that you need someone to tell you what to do and how to get there. And I think his way of communication as a coach is very good, to make you believe from the first day, so every player will know exactly what to do and when to do it.
“There’s no time to think, basically, in the way he coaches: you must just make a decision and go. You don’t have to overthink stuff, because that takes time, and we don’t have time. There’s no time for regrets: you must just go with it.”
On the surface there may be few similarities between Glasgow and Venter’s home city of Bloemfontein, but the forward has found that, thanks to Smith’s leadership, the atmosphere within the Warriors camp is very similar to the one he knew back home. “It sounds like I’ve come back to the Free State with all the guys knowing exactly what to do,” he added. “It’s so easy just to get in and be part of the team, because it feels like it’s an old team that I’ve played in because Franco coached me.
“A lot of the stuff is exactly the same as we did then, so for me it’s been one of the easiest transitions I’ve ever had. Never thought I’d be in Glasgow, to be honest, but I must say I’ve enjoyed everything and I’m very keen to be here and to give back to the club. I think we can win finals.”
