A 17-year-old South African teenage sensation has been snapped up by Edinburgh

Edinburgh have added teenage South African centre Jordan Venter to their squad for 2010/21. The 17-year-old will link-up with the Scottish capital club in December 2020 following the conclusion of the South African academic year. He joins from Stellenbosch’s Paul Roos Gymnasium School.

Venter said: “I’m very humbled by the opportunity to join Edinburgh. I’m still a young man with lots to learn, so getting the chance to develop my own game overseas is the best decision for my rugby career. 

“Edinburgh, as a city and as a club, has so much heritage and tradition. While the coaching staff and squad there are phenomenal. I’ve also got a good relationship with some of the South African players already there, so it will make for an easy transition when I make the move to Scotland.”

Edinburgh boss Richard Cockerill added: “Jordan is a young, athletic centre with bags of potential. We have kept a close eye on his school career and he’ll be a welcome addition to the squad next season.”

Born and raised in George, Western Cape – the same town as current Edinburgh winger Duhan van der Merwe – Venter represented South Western Districts at an early age. In a bid to further his rugby career, Venter made the move to Stellenbosch’s Paul Roos Gymnasium where he has been enrolled in boarding school since 2016.

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The centre was named in the under-16 Western Province elite squad before a shoulder injury derailed Venter’s bid to compete at Craven Week.

Now at under-18 level, Venter took part in the 2019 Sanix World Rugby youth invitational tournament in Japan where Paul Roos Gymnasium claimed first place, defeating St Peters College 52-5 in a one-sided final.

Venter was more recently named vice-captain of the South Africa under-18 sevens side which won last month’s tournament in Namibia.

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