Benhard Janse Van Rensburg joins England’s 42-man Nations Championship squad
Benhard Janse van rensburg has been called into England’s 42-man training squad ahead of this summer’s inaugural Nations Championship. The Bristol Bears midfielder will not be available for the Test against South Africa on 4 July, but his selection gives England another midfield option as Steve Borthwick looks at his July group.
England squad adds Janse van Rensburg
England picked Janse van Rensburg ahead of Bath centres Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, and also included Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland, Saracens scrum-half Charlie Bracken and Adam Radwan in the wider training group. The call-up puts a former South Africa U20 centre into England camp after a route that has been complicated by his 2016 appearance for South Africa’s U20 side.
He played 21 minutes as a late replacement for that South Africa U20 team in 2016. England’s move to bring him in followed a special appeal by the Rugby Football Union to World Rugby for dispensation, with the union arguing that such a brief appearance should not tie him to South Africa for life.
Residency opens England option
Janse van Rensburg will become eligible for England on residency grounds after five years in the UK since joining London Irish. That makes 8 July the date that matters for selection, because he will not be available for the South Africa Test three days earlier.
England may still use him in a non-cap game against a France XV in Vannes on 19 June, which would offer a first look at how he fits into the squad before the real Tests begin. If he is held back until after the South Africa game, he could make a full debut against Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium the following weekend.
Borthwick’s summer choices
Borthwick is also considering resting some senior players, including Maro Itoje, for some or all of England’s July games. That leaves room for the younger additions and the newly eligible midfielder to push into a squad that finished fifth in the Six Nations and lost four of its five matches.
For England, the immediate practical change is clear: Janse van Rensburg is now inside the frame for a summer campaign that could need fresh legs and extra cover in midfield. For him, the next step is simple enough — make the most of the training squad, wait for 8 July, and be ready if England decide he is part of the answer against Fiji.
