Latest news with #FrancoSmith
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
South African Henco Venter disappointed to be forced out of Glasgow Warriors due to Scottish Rugby strategy on foreign players
Henco Venter expressed disappointment over his impending Glasgow exit after becoming one of the first victims of Scottish Rugby's drive to reduce the number of non-Scottish-qualified players affiliated to the country's two professional clubs. It was announced in March that the 33-year-old South African back-rower would be leaving Warriors this summer to join French second-tier side Brive. Venter, a fans' favourite at Scotstoun, had hoped to extend his two-year stint at the club, and head coach Franco Smith said in April he would have liked to have retained the forward. However, Scottish Rugby director of rugby David Nucifora is overseeing a shift in strategy to provide more opportunities for Scottish-qualified players to play for Glasgow and Edinburgh. Explaining his reasons for leaving at a press conference on Monday, Venter said: 'Oh, tricky question. It's from above and all the stuff going on in Scotland rugby with the foreigners. That's basically one of the main reasons. I love this place and I'd love to stay here.' Venter has had more than two months to get his head around the fact his Glasgow career will be over once their involvement in the United Rugby Championship play-offs is over this month, but he admits he was not expecting to be released. 'It's rugby, so there's always something and some challenge to overcome, some injury,' he said. 'So, yeah, it's bad and I didn't like it, but it's rugby. You don't take anything personally. 'You learn to accept stuff and just be better where you can be better and perform where you can perform and enjoy every moment. I'll enjoy this week and hopefully next week.' Venter insisted he 'respects' Scottish Rugby's change of policy with regard to foreign players. 'I understand that's their plan going forward and I respect it,' he said. 'I am not Scottish, so it's a privilege to be here and to give back to the club and to the country. 'If they make their plans, they have a will to make Scotland rugby better and I hope they succeed in it.' Venter was the toast of Scotstoun during and after Friday's URC quarter-final victory over Stormers as he scored a try and produced a magnificent display in his final home match for the Warriors. They now face Leinster in the semi-final at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, and the South African is braced for a formidable task as he bids to prolong his Glasgow career by one more week. When asked what it would require to win in Dublin, he said: 'Twenty-three dogs and 80 minutes of just everyone giving everything. 'They're a class outfit with world-class players and world-class coaching staff. But it's rugby. So if we do our stuff right, then we can do it. 'These games, this is what you play for. Big stakes, big crowd, everyone just ready to give everything.'
BBC News
14 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
'They want more Scottish players' - Venter sorry to leave Glasgow
Henco Venter is leaving Glasgow Warriors reluctantly and says it felt "bad" to be told his departure is down to a Scottish Rugby directive to have fewer foreign players in the professional club South African back-row was given an emotional farewell by Warriors fans after a 36-18 win over Stormers set up Saturday's URC semi-final away to 33-year-old has agreed to join French club Brive but admits he would rather be extending his two-year stay at coach Franco Smith has also made it clear would have chosen to keep his compatriot on, saying in April: "If it was up to me, definitely he would stay."Asked about his impending exit, Venter replied: "It's a tricky question. It's also from above and all the stuff going on in Scotland regarding foreign players. That's basically one of the main reasons."I love this place and I'd love to stay but... Leave it there!"They want more Scottish players and I understand that's their plan going forward and I respect that. I'm not Scottish so it's a privilege to be here and give back to the club and the country."If they make their plans and have a will to make Scottish rugby better, I hope they succeed in it." On being told of the decision to let him go, he added: "It's bad and I didn't like it, but it's rugby and you don't take anything personally."Through many years in this game you learn to accept stuff and just be better where you can be better and perform where you can perform and enjoy every moment. So I'll enjoy this week and hopefully next week."That reference is to the daunting task of having to beat Leinster at the Aviva Stadium to prolong Warriors' title of the outcome, Venter says he cherishes his time in Glasgow."This place is special, not just for me but for my wife and our daughter," he explained. "It's just been an amazing journey for us."Despite a 52-0 hammering in Dublin earlier in the season, Venter thinks his Warriors team-mates are capable of pulling off what would be seen as a shock win against the Irish giants in their own backyard."We are in it to win it but you're not always in a team that has the potential to win," he said."Here, we do. We stand a chance, always. If the guys believe in our chance to win, then it's just magical to play in a team like that."
STV News
21 hours ago
- Sport
- STV News
Franco Smith insists Glasgow are now better equipped to face Leinster
Glasgow head coach Franco Smith believes they are better equipped to face Leinster in next weekend's semi-final than recent trips to Dublin. Defending champions Warriors set up a BKT United Rugby Championship last-four encounter at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday when they secured a five-try 36-18 triumph over the Stormers at Scotstoun on Friday night. Leinster were not at their best in their quarter-final but had enough to beat Scarlets 33-21 at the Aviva Stadium. Warriors lost 13-5 in the Irish capital in the final match of the regular URC season and were thrashed 52-0 there in April in the Champions Cup. Smith said: 'You must put the Leinster games in perspective. The first one, we were in the middle of the season, there were a lot of injuries in that period. There were so many out at that certain stage. 'The expectation (on Leinster) was massive because they hadn't played their top team since the Six Nations. Everything worked for them. Nothing went well (for us). 'If that happens with Leinster, they could put international teams away like that. That's what we took from that. 'The next time, we were more ready for the challenge. Hopefully, that will help us this time.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
South Africa guaranteed a team in URC final after Bulls and Sharks keep the flag flying
Ruan Nortjie, captain of the Bulls, is set to lead his team again, this time against the Sharks in the semi-finals of the URC on Saturday. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix South Africa will maintain its proud record of having a team in the final of the United Rugby Championship (URC), after the Bulls and Sharks won their quarter-finals at the weekend and now face off in a semi-final in Pretoria on Saturday. Since the inception of the URC, a South African team has featured in every final. The inaugural 2021/22 season culminated in a final in Cape Town between the victorious Stormers and the Bulls. The following year, the Stormers lost a home final to Munster, and last year, the Bulls hosted the final against the Glasgow Warriors, who won it. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ This year, either the Bulls or the Sharks will progress to a final against the winner of Saturday's semi-final in Dublin between Leinster and the defending champions, Glasgow Warriors. Dublin's Croke Park, Loftus Versfeld, and Kings Park are the three possible venues for the final, with the top-seeded finalists among Leinster, the Bulls, and Sharks keen to host the decider. The Warriors are the only semi-finalists who cannot host the final, even if they upset Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, as the other three teams all finished above Glasgow on the URC points table. South Africans will be backing Franco Smith's Glasgow side, as a Leinster defeat would ensure the final is played in South Africa — either in Pretoria or Durban. Of the four semi-finalists, only the Warriors have previously won the URC, while the Bulls were runners-up in 2022 and 2024. The Sharks are making their first-ever appearance in a semi-final, while, remarkably, eight-time league winners Leinster are still chasing their first appearance in a final in the URC era. The Sharks have enjoyed a meteoric rise this season, having finished 14th in last year's competition. History suggests that both the Sharks and the Warriors are capable of upsetting their favoured hosts in Pretoria and Dublin, respectively. The first three seasons of URC play-offs have seen several away wins — including at the semi-final stage — and these evenly poised match-ups could yet see triumphs for the travelling teams. The Bulls and Sharks kept the South African flag flying on Saturday, after the Stormers delivered their worst performance of the season in losing 36–18 to the Warriors on Friday night. The Bulls delivered under pressure in an entertaining encounter against Edinburgh in Pretoria. Trailing 21–8 after the opening 20 minutes, they recovered well to win 42–33. There was drama in Durban, where the Sharks and Munster drew 24–24 after 80 minutes, sending the match into extra time and then a penalty shootout. The hosts triumphed 6–4 to advance to the semi-final.
News24
3 days ago
- General
- News24
Stormers crash out of URC with dismal showing in Glasgow
Defending champions, the Glasgow Warriors once again showed their class with a resounding win over the Stormers in their United Rugby Championship quarter-final clash on Friday evening. Franco Smith's charges ran out 36-18 winners in a match where the Stormers' defence and handling let them down throughout the match. Playing with the wind, the Stormers made a dominant start. After initially turning down a shot at goal, a further penalty, this time from a dominant scrum, saw Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu land the first points of the match through a penalty to give the visitors a 3-0 lead. Glasgow hit back soon after with the first try of the match through Rory Darge. George Horne added the extras as Glasgow took the lead at 7-3. Glasgow, who were willing to keep the ball in hand, were rewarded with another try in the 15th minute, this time through winger Kyle Rowe, who collected a brilliant kick ahead by Sione Tuipulotu to cross over the whitewash. Horne converted from a difficult angle as Glasgow pushed their lead to 14-3. The Stormers were next to score through another Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty, which cut the Glasgow lead to 14-6 with 20 minutes left in the first half. Seabelo Senatla got the Stormers right back in the contest when he collected an up-and-under from Feinberg-Mngomezulu that Glasgow failed to control to race away under the uprights for a converted score as the visitors now trailed by one point, 14-13. Glasgow, however, extended their lead from the restart, using their fearsome maul to score through Henco Venter. Horne missed a difficult conversion, but the home side had opened their lead to 19-13 with 10 minutes left in the first half. Glasgow had a few other attacking opportunities in the final minutes of the half, but the Stormers' defence held strong as the teams hit the sheds for half-time, with the home side holding a six-point advantage. The Stormers struck first in the second stanza when brilliant handling following a break by Manie Libbok saw Senatla seal his brace. While Feinberg-Mngomezulu couldn't convert, the visitors had cut the Glasgow's lead to 19-18. Glasgow, however, hit back soon after, with Rowe securing his brace by stepping through a few tacklers near the Stormers' line and crashing over under the posts for a converted try and a 26-18 lead. Things got worse for the visitors when Glasgow attacked from deep. Deft handling sent Horne over for a converted score, and the home side suddenly had a handy 33-18 lead with 27 minutes left to play. A Horne penalty then further extended the Stormers' problems as Glasgow led 36-18 with the home side well in control of the game. While John Dobson's charges tried to force their way back into the encounter, forced passes and poor handling scuppered their efforts as Glasgow controlled the remaining minutes to come away with a well-deserved victory. Scorers Glasgow Warriors 36 (19) Tries: Rory Darge, Kyle Rowe (2), Henco Venter, George Horne Conversions: George Horne (4) Penalties: George Horne Stormers 18 (13) Tries: Seabelo Senatla (2) Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
