Tigers finger Saffa bruiser for ‘eye-gouge’

South African loose forward Henco Venter has been accused of foul play during Glasgow Warriors’ Investec Champions Cup round-of-16 win over Leicester Tigers.

Telegraph Sport reports that Leicester have filed an official complaint with tournament organisers regarding the incident, which allegedly occurred in the opening minutes of Saturday’s match.

The disputed moment happened when a Leicester maul collapsed near the tryline. Footage shows Dan Cole lying face down with his arm around Venter’s head before the Glasgow No 8 apparently reached forward and made contact with the prop’s eye area.

In non-parachute news, understand that Leicester have lodged a complaint to the citing commissioner over an alleged eye gouge on Dan Cole by Glasgow’s Henco Venter. https://t.co/R4uBlyRjTz pic.twitter.com/4dnvwFJUq0

— Ben Coles (@bencoles_) April 6, 2025

Cole immediately clutched his right eye as play continued. Despite the incident, Leicester scored from the next phase.

The matter wasn’t reviewed by match officials but has now been referred to the EPCR after Leicester’s post-match complaint.

Venter scored two tries and was named Man of the Match in the Warriors’ 43-19 triumph that booked their spot in the last eight, and pit Franco Smith’s attack up against Jacques Nienaber’s Leinster defence in Dublin on Friday.

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The former Sharks and Cheetahs powerhouse has been influential since joining Glasgow in 2023, playing a key role in their Vodacom URC title win last year. However, he is set to leave for French side Brive at season’s end.

“If it was up to me, definitely he [Venter] would stay,” Smith was quoted post-match on Saturday. “Other factors came into play. And, you know, from our side, from Scotland rugby side, there’s a movement in the direction of having less foreigners. 

“And at the same time, [Venter] had a very good offer. If he was my son, I would have said to him, ‘I understand why you’re going’.

“He’s 33 years old. He’s coming to the back end of his career. He’s playing well. But, you know, again, as much as he made a difference for Glasgow rugby, we also made a difference in his life. We should be proud of it.”

Photo: Ewan Bootman/SNS Group via Getty Images