South African hooker Janus Venter played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

Venter entered the Cheetahs system in 2018, and represented the Central University of Technology (CUT) Ixias, breaking the single-season try record during their 2021 Varsity Cup campaign, scoring 12 times. He represented the Free State Cheetahs through to 2023, when he made the move stateside. The Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Janus Venter on 29th November 2023, and he earned 10 appearances (1 start) for the Hounds during his debut season in North America, and on January 9th, 2025 the team confirmed his return for a second season in MLR with the Chicago Hounds.