James Venter aims to end Sharks tenure with a bang in URC title quest

Having made the top four of the United Rugby Championships the Sharks are confident ahead of their quarter final match against Scarlets at home on Saturday (7.30pm kick-off), said flanker James Venter. 

Now at the tail-end of his time at the Durban side, Venter said they are confident in the rugby they’ve been playing and fancy their shot at the URC final. 

The Sharks secured a home quarter final after thumping the Ospreys 29-10, with a bonus point, at Kings Park last Friday.

They will be hoping for a victory on Saturday and a Glasgow defeat at the hands of Leinster, so they can move up to third place.

Venter alluded to the fact that the Sharks have smelt blood, and adjusted their mentality going into the final round accordingly. 

“We want to have an 80-minute performance. That’s what we are aiming towards, according to our standard and quality,” Venter said.

“I don’t think that there are many teams that can keep up with us. I think that’s more or less what we are striving towards.

“We know that when we finally hit that game, and when we string that 80-minute performance together, we will be a very hard team to beat.

“The Stormers have been playing great rugby, but so have all the teams in the top eight. Whatever our road looks like to the finals, we will be prepared for that.”

Venter has been with the Sharks since 2018, and decided to join the London Irish in the English Premiership next season.

He said the Sharks have molded him into the player and professional he is today, and is grateful to have lived out his boyhood dream. 

The South Coast boy from KwaZulu-Natal wants to end his career at the Shark Tank with a bang.

“It was always a dream to play for the Sharks at a professional level. I’ve done that for six years. They’ve had a massive impact on molding me as a player and person. Just being in this environment, I think I’m privileged to have lived out a dream of mine,” Venter said.

“Going into the last few games, I just want to leave a legacy, experience the fans and locals at Kings Park. My friends and family are here so I am really looking forward to it and hoping we can make it a memorable season as well,” Venter said. 

The Stormers and Bulls are the two other South African teams that made Round 18 of the URC tournament.

The Stormers take on Cardiff in Cape Town on Saturday, while the Bulls square off against the Dragons at Loftus. 

During the quarter-finals, the first-ranked team faces the eighth-ranked team, the second plays seventh and so on.

The tail end of the tournament will require some level of tact if the Sharks want to be successful, not just from a physical or strategic perspective, but also in understanding the referee in charge of their respective matches. 

The URC’s laws of the game have sometimes been style as ambiguous because of the inconsistencies and varying interpretations by certain referees. 

Given the fact that it’s too late to change anything now, Venter said doing some homework on their referee will be crucial to the games.

Playing the quarter final without a big name like Eben Etzebeth is also a minus for the Durban team, but Venter said they are still confident in the line up of locks available. 

Etzebeth was ruled out of the Starlets match due to injury. 

“The subjectivity of some refs at the breakdown is definitely the grey area. I think that’s what you got to play towards,” Venter explained.

“You have to see how the ref is interpreting the breakdown, where his clear lines and blurred lines are.

“I think that’s rugby, you got to do your homework on the ref and be aware and make observations on the field and make a determination then.”