Episode 6
Ep.6: Tackling Rugby with Ruan Venter – Pressure Fuels Greatness
Becoming a Springbok is a dream for many rugby players, but only a few manage to achieve it. In this podcast, we delve into the inspiring journey of Ruan Venter, who rose from humble beginnings to make his mark on the national stage. He shares the emotional impact of losing his father, who was his biggest supporter, and how that motivated him to succeed in the sport. We also explore the importance of preparation, resilience, and the mindset required to thrive in high-pressure situations. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes the significance of self-expression on the field and encourages young players to embrace their unique talents as they pursue their dreams in rugby.
A remarkable journey unfolds as the guest shares his ascent from an under-the-radar player in a small rugby school to earning a coveted spot with the Springboks. His story is one of resilience, ambition, and a deep-rooted passion for rugby that began in childhood, inspired by his father's coaching at Sutherland High School. Through heartfelt anecdotes, he reflects on the profound impact of his father's support, especially after his passing, and how it has fueled his determination to succeed in the sport. The conversation transitions into the rigorous preparation that goes into playing at elite levels, emphasizing the importance of hard work and self-expression on the field. The guest candidly discusses the pressures of high-stakes games and the role of mental fortitude, attributing his ability to handle intense situations to meticulous preparation. He also touches on the significance of staying true to oneself and using one's unique talents to stand out, particularly for young players navigating the competitive landscape of rugby.
Takeaways:
- The importance of preparation is emphasized as a key to managing game day nerves.
- Expressing oneself on the field is crucial for young players to showcase their talent.
- Transitioning from a small school to a larger one can be challenging but rewarding.
- The emotional impact of losing a parent can drive personal growth and resilience.
- The journey of becoming a professional athlete often involves unexpected opportunities and hard work.
- Team culture and camaraderie play a significant role in achieving success in rugby.
Transcript
My dad made a YouTube video about my highlights.
Speaker B:Becoming a spring walker is obviously a dream for many guys and not many achieve that.
Speaker A:Being able to get that gap in that holdout stadium in Bloemfontein was really an amazing moment.
Speaker B:How do you handle that?
Speaker A:Intensity, stress and the nerves is with preparation.
Speaker A:If your preparation is so on point and you've done your work throughout the week, you know your detail, then you know, it all comes sort of naturally.
Speaker B:I said one piece of advice that you would share with the young guys.
Speaker A:Don't be afraid to.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:Your rising in rugby has been impressive for those that are new to your journey.
Speaker B:I mean, how would you describe the last couple of months after becoming a Springbok?
Speaker A:Yeah, I think it's been a amazing couple of months.
Speaker A:Honestly.
Speaker A:I came unexpectedly when I got the call to go join the Springboks in Bloemfontein.
Speaker A:But, yeah, just a massive privilege and honor to play for the Springboks.
Speaker A:So at the moment, I just have the one cap.
Speaker A:So for now, it's just the goal on working towards getting into that squad and staying there.
Speaker A:I think that's the massive thing you have to work towards and, yeah, so just at the moment, just working hard on my game and trying to get back to being in that squad.
Speaker B:And tell us a bit more about your early beginnings.
Speaker B:I mean, what was your first memory of playing rugby and what make you fall in love with the game?
Speaker A:Yeah, so my dad used to coach high school rugby at Sutherland High School.
Speaker A:So when I was a young kid, probably four or five, I would join their practices and play with all the kids, touch rugby and just kick around the ball on those fields.
Speaker A:That was probably where I have most of my early Rakpi memories.
Speaker A:Yeah, that was just a really special time, bonding time with my father and developing those early skills.
Speaker A:So I think probably that when I was like four or five years old, training with the high school kids.
Speaker B:Okay, looking back at that early days, what was the piece of advice you received that you think still sticks with you today?
Speaker A:Probably just to express yourself.
Speaker A:My dad always told me, just show the world what you can do.
Speaker A:So that's the main thing for us as rugby players.
Speaker A:The way you earn your money and the way you become successful is by expressing yourself and showing the people what makes you.
Speaker A:You are there for a reason.
Speaker A:You have the talent, you put in the hard work.
Speaker A:So when you get onto the field, it's just about expressing yourself.
Speaker B:The rise to, obviously, joining the Lions is a massive, big milestone in your career.
Speaker B:So I mean, what was the journey for you to get to that point where you obviously loved rhetor as a young and, I mean, how did you get arrive at the Lions?
Speaker B:How did you get your first cap?
Speaker B:Just give us a bit of a breakdown of how you got to that point.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So my story is a bit different.
Speaker A:I'd say the usual guy that gets a contract, who plays groncomo and plays Craven week gets a contract.
Speaker A:By the time I was end of grade eleven, no one really knew about me.
Speaker A:I was still in Sutherland, which is a small English or small rugby school English school in Centurion.
Speaker A:So by that time, I was completely under the radar.
Speaker A:No one knew about me.
Speaker A:And my dad made a YouTube video about my highlights because Covid just did.
Speaker A:So I wasn't gonna get any contracts through Craven week or anything like that.
Speaker A:So sort of made a highlights video, just, you know, just ail Mary to throw it out there.
Speaker A:And someone from Paul Boys actually saw that video.
Speaker A:So then I got the opportunity to go to Paul boys from a trick, as a nobody, basically, and try and prove myself in that year to play first team and maybe get a contract.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And from that, worked really hard, got into the first team and we played, I think, five or six games.
Speaker A:I was lucky enough to play good in those games.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So then in about June or July, the Lions signed me.
Speaker A:And in my matrix year, I think it was in September, I flew up to Johannesburg and played a few under 20 games for the Lions, which helped a lot.
Speaker A:So I sort of did school for those few weeks online, wrote a few exams up here, and then I went back to Paul boys again.
Speaker A:So that under 20 campaign, which I was in matric, that helped me a lot.
Speaker A:And then the following year, the year out of matric, 14 days, actually, into the new year, I made my curriculum debut.
Speaker A:And then 14 days after that, I made my URC debut.
Speaker A:And, yeah, everything just kind of fell in line for me.
Speaker A:There was lots of injuries in my positions that gave me a chance.
Speaker A:So then I got the opportunity and I took the opportunity and, yeah, so I played URC at 19 that first month out of matric.
Speaker A:Yeah, just a massive blessing.
Speaker A:Yeah, that was just God's will blessed upon my life.
Speaker A:So two URC seasons, then I got the call last month, or in July from the Springboks, I got my first cap, and now we're in the Curry cup campaign preparing for this year's GOC.
Speaker B:That's great.
Speaker B:And then, I mean, obviously you touched on.
Speaker B:Obviously you were in a small school.
Speaker B:I mean, how big was.
Speaker B:Was the move for you to move from a smaller school to, obviously, to a big school?
Speaker B:I mean, what would your advice be for kids that's in similar situations?
Speaker B:Because I know that's something that we obviously quite passionate about at Octofield, and one of the things that we're working on is to help kids in smaller towns and that don't always get the opportunities of kids in big schools.
Speaker B:So that's why we're launching our scouting program and platform in how, how big of effect do you think it was moving from a smaller town school to a big school?
Speaker A:It's a big change, definitely, but I think if you have the right mindset going into it, I sort of had a mindset of, okay, I'm all in, there's no going back.
Speaker A:This is what I've decided to do.
Speaker A:I'm going to follow through with it.
Speaker A:And, yeah, that's six months before the time.
Speaker A:It's probably the hardest I've ever trained in my life.
Speaker A:I'm trying to get ready for that level.
Speaker A:But, yeah, a lot of the time you have a picture in your head about these big schools that they are so much better than you.
Speaker A:Everybody there is sort of untouchable when you're in that smaller environment, but it's not really the case.
Speaker A:If you have the talent and you have that ability and the work ethic, you can do it.
Speaker A:I mean, it's possible.
Speaker A:It happened with me.
Speaker A:No one gave me a chance.
Speaker A:I went there.
Speaker A:I started in the third team and I worked my way up all the way to the first team.
Speaker B:And, I mean, if you look at the lines and the team culture and values, I mean, how does that influence the way you play and you approach the game?
Speaker B:I mean, there's obviously a lot of high pressure games in the URC.
Speaker B:I mean, how do you, how do you handle that intensity at that young age?
Speaker B:I mean, when I was 19, I was still playing at Sharks under 19 and under 21.
Speaker B:So we, back in the days, we didn't get that call ups into this major competition so early in our career.
Speaker B:So, I mean, how do you handle that as a young boy coming from a small school?
Speaker B:Had to work yourself up.
Speaker B:I mean, how do you handle that from your, from your side?
Speaker A:Yeah, I really enjoy that pressure.
Speaker A:I think the games I play base is the games with the most pressure and at the biggest stage.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think the way you deal with the stress and the nerves is with preparation.
Speaker A:If your preparation is so on point and you've done your work throughout the week, you know your detail, then, you know, it all comes sort of naturally.
Speaker A:So if you've put in the work, you know your stuff, you've done your homework, then sort of settles those nerves.
Speaker A:But, yeah, I enjoy that aspect of the UrC.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I mean, becoming a spring walker is obviously a dream for many guys and not many achieve that.
Speaker B:I mean, what does that go mean to you personally?
Speaker B:I know your dad passed away a while back and I know it was something that you, you promised him.
Speaker B:So, I mean, what does that mean for you?
Speaker B:And, I mean, what's your aspirations for the future in becoming a more cap player?
Speaker A:Yeah, it was a dream for me as well, since I was a little boy, but, yeah, you never really think you'll get there.
Speaker A:It's a.
Speaker A:It's a thing of a dream, but it sort of.
Speaker A:It feels out of touch and to actually achieve that and get to that level is.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was an amazing moment for me.
Speaker A:Emotional moment.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So being able to get that cap in that sold out stadium in Bloemfontein was really an amazing moment and that sort of just drives the hunger to, as I said previously, just to stay there, to get back into that system and, yeah, just being able to express yourself and playing for the country, that's.
Speaker A:I think that's the highest privilege you can have as a rocky player, is to play for your country.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I mean, just in terms of personal growth and resilience, I mean, obviously that's something that you've shown.
Speaker B:You have a lot in you overcoming a lot of different challenges so early in your career and obviously the passing of your dad was probably the biggest one.
Speaker B:But I mean, what was the biggest challenge off the field?
Speaker B:And, I mean, how did you overcome that challenge?
Speaker A:Yeah, so the passing of my dad has been.
Speaker A:So that happened about a year and a half ago.
Speaker A:That was emotionally the toll it took on my family and on me personally.
Speaker A:It was massive because he was my biggest supporter, especially in rugby.
Speaker A:I could always call him before every game, after every game.
Speaker A:And so he was a big part of my journey to that point.
Speaker A:So losing him was.
Speaker A:Took a lot of effort and a lot of time to deal with.
Speaker A:I'm still dealing with it, but so that on the emotional aspect of it, that has been the toughest challenge.
Speaker A:And then I would say probably back in school when I was in the small schools and you would feel like, you know, these, the grand Como scouts and coaches and the Cravenreach scouts and coaches weren't backing you because you're coming from a smaller school and you're not playing against the likes of office and, and that.
Speaker A:So, yeah, for me, being in the bulls youth system and feeling like you're not getting quite that backing from the coaches, that, yeah, it was a challenge, but it also put that drive in me.
Speaker A:So when I went over to Boise, you know, you have that thing of.
Speaker A:Okay, you didn't back me.
Speaker A:I'll prove you wrong.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So that, that was a big driving factor as well.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I mean, for young, for young players looking up to you, what's that one piece of advice that you would share with.
Speaker B:With the young guys?
Speaker A:Yeah, I would say don't.
Speaker A:Don't be afraid to show what you can do.
Speaker A:A lot of times in schools, it's the kids are so, or the coaches are so focused on the structure and the game plan, and that's all good.
Speaker A:But for you as a schoolboy, you have to be able to express yourself.
Speaker A:You shouldn't be scared to try things and to.
Speaker A:To do the things that makes you you.
Speaker A:Because at the end of the day, you have to show why you are special and why you are not just in a game plan.
Speaker A:You.
Speaker A:Yeah, you have to show that x factor, I think.
Speaker A:So if you can fucking have one piece of advice to schoolboys around the world is don't be afraid to express yourself.
Speaker B:Great.
Speaker B:I mean, looking back at your journey so far, I mean, what are you excited about for the future, especially with the URC coming up?
Speaker B:You guys are obviously still busy with the Curry cup at the moment.
Speaker B:So how does your season look for the rest of the year when you've obviously played a lot of games in the Curry cup and then obviously the URC is quite a long season that's awaiting.
Speaker B:And then obviously you've got the Challenge cup and all of those european competitions.
Speaker B:How do you prepare yourself for that this year?
Speaker A:Yeah, so for me, it was, I asked to play Bravkari cup so that I could get my form, you know, get a bit of game time, get form in game.
Speaker A:So, yeah, now I'm a bit more towards the URC preseason and focusing on the URC games coming up.
Speaker A:And I think for us, it's quite an exciting time at the Lions.
Speaker A:We have a lot of young guys coming through.
Speaker A:We finished the season off well last season.
Speaker A:So, yeah, it's.
Speaker A:We're putting a big emphasis on that as a union to move forward and to have a successful season, which I think we will.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I mean, how's the team culture going now?
Speaker B:Obviously, the Lions have done really well the last season or so, kind of rebuilding.
Speaker B:So, I mean, where are you guys currently?
Speaker B:What's your kind of goals for this season?
Speaker A:Yeah, the culture is very good.
Speaker A:There's a good vibe, not a lot of toxicity or negativity around the union, so I think we're in a good place altogether.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think the team culture, because it's also a lot of young guys.
Speaker A:We all have a lot to prove.
Speaker A:There's a lot of guys that has aspirations to get into the Springboks, and we know that the only way you get there is if you win.
Speaker A:So for us, as a group of young guys, we have to start winning and.
Speaker A:Yeah, but it's really exciting.
Speaker A:I think we're in a good place.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And any of the young guys that you've seen the last couple of games in the Curry cup that's put up their hand, that you think that we'll have a breakthrough season at this year's Urc?
Speaker A:Yeah, no, definitely.
Speaker A:I think a lot of the under 21 SDE, especially, who made their step up into the Curry cup sort of as their first senior season.
Speaker A:So guys like escorts the loose head later on, the scrummy Sam Francis, the flyer of Bronson.
Speaker A:You know, those guys, they've really put up their hands and shown, you know, they belong here and they can be here.
Speaker A:And I think that most of those guys will get their chance in URC as well next season.
Speaker A:So, yeah, it's up to them to put up their hand and show.
Speaker A:Show the coaches and show the world what they can do.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Okay, cool.
Speaker B:Thanks, man.
Speaker B:And then a last question.
Speaker B:I mean, so what's something of being a professional rugby player that most people wouldn't expect or know about you?
Speaker A:I would say I'm a huge Liverpool fan, so probably that.
Speaker A:And, yeah, I'm a big football fan.
Speaker A:I played football as well when I was in Sutherland.
Speaker A:I enjoyed football a lot, you know, played FIFA.
Speaker A:I had every FIFA since FIFA 14.
Speaker A:So, yeah, that's probably things someone or the people don't know about me.
Speaker B:Great.
