After trailing 26-7 at half-time Zebre responded well in the second period, scoring two tries in the opening ten minutes to reduce the deficit, but Venter ruled out any possibility of a comeback.

His first came thanks to quick-witted play, which saw him dummy a pass to a teammate following his tap penalty, allowing him to squeeze past the Zebre defence and find the tryline.

George Biagi then struck back for the hosts before Venter intervened again late on for the Cheetahs, collecting the ball from a maul as a result of a lineout.

From there, the South African once again displayed his flair, feigning a pass to William Small-Smith before darting beyond the posts to claim Cheetahs’ eighth try.

The impressive display meant Venter doubled his try tally for the season in the league to four, and in the process consigned Zebre to their 11th loss of the season in the Guinness PRO14.