SA-born centre ‘stood down’ over concussion concerns

Born in Pretoria and raised in Thabazimbi, Benhard Janse van Rensburg is now an England player after qualifying for his adopted nation, and he made his Test debut against Fiji in July.

The 29-year-old was expected to again feature for England during the November Nations Championship fixtures, but an injury cloud now hangs over his head after receiving two significant concussions in his last three games.

Having been knocked unconscious against Northampton in early October, the Bristol centre has been ‘stood down from full rugby duties indefinitely’.

“Benhard has seen a specialist and been advised to take a number of weeks of non-contact work before his reintroduction to rugby over the coming weeks,” coach Steve Borthwick revealed this week.

At Bristol, Janse van Rensburg’s physical ball-carrying and defensive reliability have placed him firmly in the England picture, although there were once talks that the Springboks could consider a call-up before he debuted for the Red Roses.

However, when speaking on the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast, the midfielder said the claims of Springbok interest came as news to him.

“I only heard about it because my dad told me Rassie (Erasmus) had said it,” he said. “I would have probably loved to (play for South Africa), but really every team I play for, I want to do my best and whatever comes after that, comes after that.

“When Rassie said he wanted to pick me, I was in the dark. I hadn’t heard anything from them. Whatever he said, whether that was true or not, I didn’t know about it.”

Born in Pretoria and raised in Thabazimbi, Janse van Rensburg initially made a name for himself playing for the Leopards and North-West University (NWU Pukke) in the Varsity Cup, before moving on to feature for senior provincial sides including the Sharks, Southern Kings and the Cheetahs. He also represented the Junior Springboks in 2016.

After a short stint in Japan with the NEC Green Rockets, the versatile 29-year-old utility back – who can comfortably slot in at centre, flyhalf or fullback – moved to England in 2021 to join London Irish. He then found a home with the Bristol Bears, where he recently signed a contract extension.

Having lived and played professional rugby continuously in the UK since his 2021 move to London Irish, he officially hit his five-year residency qualification mark this past July.