JANCO Venter’s move to Saracens Rugby Club was finally confirmed on Wednesday when the English giants announced the news on their website.
Saracens’ director of rugby Mark McCall said they were excited about their new signing.
“We have been watching Janco’s progress over the last few seasons and are looking forward to welcoming him to the club. His potential is very exciting and we firmly believe his best days lie in the future. As a club we are extremely confident that we can help Janco take his game to new levels,” he said.
Venter, meanwhile, was over the moon.
“This is a little bit of a dream come true. When I first came over to the U.K. a couple of years ago it was always with the dream and the ambition to play in a Premiership side and Saracens were at the top of the list.
“I can’t explain how excited I am to have the opportunity to keep developing myself. I think there’s no better place to be than Saracens to do that,” he was quoted as saying.
“The way everything is set up they want the player to be the best he can be and having played for Namibia, having had a taste for that higher level and being able to embrace your talents, I think I’m looking forward to that the most,” he added.
When contacted in Windhoek on Thursday, Venter said he was aware of Saracens’ interest and took a bit of a gamble when he didn’t renew his contract with his former club, Jersey.
“My contract with Jersey ran out at the end of May, but I didn’t renew it, because I wanted to sign for a bigger club. It was a bit of a gamble, but I knew that Saracens and another club were interested in me, so I was quite confident of getting another contract,” he said.
Venter now follows in the footsteps of Namibian great Jacques Burger who became a cult hero at Saracens during their glory days when they won the the English Premiership title three times and the European Cup once between 2012 and 2016.
Venter said he was inspired and motivated to follow in Burger’s footsteps.
“It’s an honour to follow in Jacques’ footsteps – it’s very big shoes to fill, but it motivates me even more to hold Namibia’s name high. His legacy inspires me and I believe I’ll do well.”
Saracens, however, have been relegated from the Premiership due to salary cap breaches and will be playing in the second division, known as the championship, next season. Venter said it would offer him a chance to make his mark with his new club.
“I’ve been playing for two years in the championship with Jersey so I know the tournament well. I think it will give me confidence to start playing for Saracens there, so that I can build and improve my game to a higher level,” he said.
Venter is now just waiting for his visa to be approved before he flies out to England to join his new club, although when the new season will start is still unclear due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Venter, who has won 28 caps for his country, however, remains true to his roots, saying he will always be available to play for Namibia.
“I’ll always be available for Namibia. My heart is here and that’s where my pride is.”
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