His name and back story may not be familiar to the casual rugby observer, but during his career Ospreys target Shaun Venter has attracted comparisons with the greatest South African scrum-half of them all.
That would be the Joost van der Westhuizen, for the avoidance of doubt.
It’s a strange one because van der Westhuizen was a legend whose never-to-be-forgotten bravery saw him make a series of key tackles on Jonah Lomu in the 1995 World Cup final and inspire South Africa to victory over New Zealand.
Lomu had rampaged through England in the semi-finals, but he couldn’t run through van der Westhuizen, with the famed No. 9 repeatedly cutting him down.
He went on to win 89 caps.
By contrast, Venter is 32 and without a single Springbok appearance to his name.
But his penchant for exploiting gaps and making searing breaks has led some to see similarities between him and the late, great Joost, who passed away in 2017 after a lengthy battle with motor neuron disease.
Just two years ago, there were questions in South Africa as to why Venter wasn’t being picked for the Test side.
Playing much of his career at the same time as two extraordinary game-controllers in Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar hasn't helped him, while Faf de Klerk is up there among the best No. 9s in the world.
But Springoks coach Rassie Erasmus monitored Venter last season, considering him a genuine candidate for a call-up.
“I know that positions nine, two, five, 10 and 15 are positions in the Pro14 that are really challenging because of the conditions, the different refereeing interpretations, and different pressures,” said Erasmus.
“It’s a really a different style that a player must get used to, and Shaun is definitely a player that I am looking at.”
The former Munster coach would not have been disappointed by what he saw, with former Super Rugby man Venter frequently shining for the Cheetahs, making more clean breaks in the Guinness PRO14 than any other scrum-half in the competition.
There were 21 of them in all, helping to yield 673 metres for his side, plus 15 offloads.
Some have suggested the basics of his game have held him back, but he thrives on responsibility and led the Cheetahs after an injury to Oupa Mohoje last season.
He also stood out when the South African side played the Ospreys in Bloemfontein in April.
If his move to the Liberty is completed, he will join Aled Davies and youngsters Matthew Aubrey, Harri Morgan and Reuben Morgan-Williams on the region’s the scrum-half roster.
