Benhard Janse van Rensburg, a former South Africa Under-20 centre, has been called up to England's training squad for the summer Nations Championship. The 29-year-old joins a 42-strong squad as England prepares for matches starting in July 2026 [1, 2].

Janse van Rensburg appeared briefly for South Africa U20 in 2016 as 20-minute injury cover but was cleared to play for England after a successful RFU appeal to World Rugby [1, 3, 2]. He qualifies for England on residency grounds after living in the UK for five years and will be officially eligible from July 8, 2026 [1, 3, 2].

Because of eligibility rules, Janse van Rensburg cannot play in England's Test against South Africa on July 4 in Johannesburg but could feature in matches against Fiji on July 11 and Argentina on July 18 [1, 3, 2]. He may also participate in a non-cap game against a France XV in Vannes on June 19 if his training performances warrant it [2].

The call-up came at the expense of Bath players Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who were not selected. Former England scrum-half Danny Care criticized the decision, saying it was unfair to displace young English-qualified players. He said, "It doesn't sit right with me to take away the opportunity for Max Ojomoh or Ollie Lawrence... they are two young English lads who have dreamt of playing for England" and added, "do I think he could be the difference for England winning the World Cup next year? Unfortunately, I don't" [3].

England head coach Steve Borthwick defended the choice. He said, "From my point of view, he's a player who's eligible to play for England and he's committed his future to playing rugby in England. My role is to help develop the best England team we possibly can, with all the players that are eligible to play for England." He acknowledged the tough decisions, noting, "I recognise that there are really, really good players that aren't on the squad. In this role, there's tough decision to make and those are the decisions you want to make because you've got lots of good players" [4].

Janse van Rensburg joined London Irish in 2021 before transferring to Bristol Bears and has since established himself in English club rugby [1, 2]. Other players named in the training squad include scrum-halves Archie McParland and Charlie Bracken, wings Adam Radwan and Noah Caluori, and front-rowers Vilikesa Sela and Kepu Tuipulotu [1, 2].

Training camps continue as England finalizes their lineup ahead of the Nations Championship, with key match eligibility starting July 8 for Janse van Rensburg.