South African back-row Henco Venter has praised Glasgow Warriors boss Franco Smith as "one of the smartest coaches in the world".
Venter, who joined the club in the summer and has made 12 appearances to date, praised fellow South African Smith for the way he's managed the squad so far this campaign.
Smith’s policy of rotation has ensured the likes of Max Williamson, Euan Ferrie, Ben Afshar and Alex Samuel have all enjoyed regular game time.
Venter said: “There’s a reason why he won coach of the year last year. He’s one of the smartest rugby coaches in the world. It’s fun.
“Working under someone who knows the game more than yourself is a massive honour to be in the presence and learn and play.
"You just enjoy yourself and not worry about stuff and express yourself.
"That platform has given some of the young guys to come through like Max [Williamson] and his try at the weekend, you just enjoy yourself and don’t worry about any pressures.
“We’re a team. As a team you grow and everyone has their role to play and they’ve helped me with certain stuff too so it’s vice/versa, whichever makes the boat go faster.
“There’s a lot of dog in the guys and that’s the first thing you need and then their work ethic is great.
“It’s important to give everyone a chance and develop everyone. You don’t win a competition in the first six weeks, you don’t want to peak there.
"Look at Leinster, they didn’t win last year but they are always the best team. You have to do the rotations and to develop your young guys.
“You need players who can slot in and perform at that level and they’ve shown they can do that. You’re here for the team, you’re not here for yourself so you must first serve the team and then the team will serve you.
“It’s just a way of serving. Serve on the training field, serve the club and weekends are the easy part.”
Venter has made an immediate impact on the pitch and he's also enjoying life in Scotland off the field too.
The 31-year-old joked that he’s visited Luss so much he feels like he lives there, while he’s also taken trips to St Andrews and got a picture on the world-famous Swilcan Bridge.
On the pitch, Venter is already looking forward to facing his former team, who visit Scotstoun next month.
He added: "I’m excited for the Sharks to come and show them a bit.
"It’s a different challenge but we’re definitely up for it with our preparation and game model, physicality.
“I also think with Franco we have a lot of South Africans who have played there and we’ll definitely be up for them.”
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