Benhard Janse van Rensburg ruled out of November Tests
Benhard Janse van Rensburg will miss England’s November Nations Championship fixtures after suffering two recent concussions.
England centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been ruled out of the November Nations Championship fixtures after being advised to spend several weeks away from contact rugby following two significant concussions in his last three matches.
The 29-year-old Bristol Bears midfielder has been assessed by a specialist and will remain on a non-contact programme before being gradually reintroduced to full rugby activity.
Janse van Rensburg ruled out until December
Janse van Rensburg suffered his latest concussion while attempting to tackle Northampton Saints forward Henry Pollock on October 3.
It followed another serious head injury during England’s July Test against Argentina, when he was knocked unconscious late in the match and required treatment before leaving the field.
England head coach Steve Borthwick confirmed that Janse van Rensburg had been advised to undertake several weeks of non-contact work before returning progressively to rugby.
Bristol have since confirmed that he is not expected to play again until December, ruling him out of England’s November matches against Australia, Japan and New Zealand as well as the Nations Championship Finals Weekend.
England career halted after summer breakthrough
Born in Pretoria and raised in Thabazimbi, Janse van Rensburg qualified to represent England after moving to the country in 2021.
He made his Test debut against Fiji in July, scoring with his first touch in England’s 73-8 victory, before winning his second cap against Argentina later that month.
Springbok interest emerged before England debut
Before committing his international future to England, Janse van Rensburg had been publicly linked with a possible Springbok call-up.
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus said there had been conversations about selecting the centre and that the Springboks had wanted to cap him.
Janse van Rensburg later gave a different account of the situation, saying he had not personally been contacted by the Springbok set-up and only became aware of Erasmus’ comments after being told about them by his father.
He acknowledged that he would probably have loved the opportunity to represent South Africa, but said he had been in the dark about any direct Springbok interest before eventually making his England debut.
