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Benhard Janse van Rensburg will be eligible for England from July 8 thanks to World Rugby’s five-year residency rule - Steve Bardens/Getty Images
All selections at Test level are subjective and prone to engender debate, but I find Steve Borthwick’s choice of Benhard Janse van Rensburg in his latest England training squad both infuriating and depressing.
This is no personal slight on Janse van Rensburg. He can only do his best for Bristol Bears. I just cannot understand why England have gone to such lengths to promote a 29-year-old South African ahead of a host of talented centres coming through in this country. What message does that send to them and the pathway as a whole?
I am based in South Africa and know a few former Springboks. When you ask them about Janse van Rensburg, they roll their eyes. There are any number of great players here who cannot get into the Springboks set-up. Jurenzo Julius at the Sharks is a talented player. If Janse van Rensburg came back here, I am not sure whether he would be playing at a prominent level.
In my opinion, he has not been that against top-quality opposition in the Champions Cup. I watched him against Northampton on Friday and questioned why we are doing this when we have English-qualified players who have come through the system as good as Max Ojomoh at Bath. It sends a very worrying message to aspiring players.
I played with Ojomoh’s dad, Steve, who asked me a number of years ago about Max. I could see he was – and is – a hugely talented player who just needed to get his opportunity. He finally got his chance for England, against Argentina when he was man of the match. He can play and is a great distributor. England have pace to burn out wide, but you need someone who understands the art of distribution to make the most of those weapons.
It is not just Ojomoh. You cannot say that Seb Atkinson or Tommy Freeman have had a proper go at centre yet. Then you have Will Wand, a recent standout for Leicester, and Olly Hartley, who I know Mark McCall rates highly at Saracens. The talent is there. So why have we done this? And what does it say about the pathway for developing English-qualified players through the academy system?
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The likes of Seb Atkinson will feel that they have not been given the chance to settle into England’s centre role - David Rogers/Getty Images
This is not a new issue. Considering England’s previous imports, it does not feel like a coincidence that so many of them have been centres, such as Ben Te’o, Shontayne Hape, Riki Flutey or even Joel Tompkins and Sam Burgess from league. Then, when you count the number of different centre partnerships going back to the Stuart Lancaster and Eddie Jones days, it is obscene.
Anyone who has played international rugby at centre will tell you it takes time to acclimatise. It is a confidence position because you need to make the right decisions under pressure. When an inside centre receives the ball, there are about 10 things they can do in terms of passing, running or kicking. It takes a run of games to understand how much time you have at international level.
While we seem to jump around, the best teams tend to have settled centre partnerships. Go through the most successful England teams and there is Clive Woodward, Paul Dodge, Jeremy Guscott, Will Carling, Will Greenwood, Mike Tindall and Mike Catt.
I am not saying all those successful periods were down to the centres but you need stability in the middle of the field and we seem incapable of finding it. Just as we were working out whether Atkinson and Freeman could click long-term, we bring in Janse van Rensburg. If you were bringing in a superstar in a problem position then at least I would understand it. This, I just do not get, particularly as the Rugby Football Union went to such lengths with World Rugby to ensure Janse van Rensburg was eligible.
In this country, we talk so much about our pathways. This sends a terrible message to young English centres, that a 29-year-old South African can simply jump the queue.
Steve Borthwick defends Janse van Rensburg selection
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Steve Borthwick, the England head coach, has defended his selection of South African-born Benhard Janse van Rensburg in his training squad for this summer’s Nations Championship matches in the face of mounting criticism from former players.
Danny Care, Mike Tindall, Jeremy Guscott and Simon Halliday, in a column for Telegraph Sport, are among former England internationals to question the selection of the former South Africa Under-20s player, who will qualify for his adopted country on July 8 under World Rugby’s five-year residency rule following an appeal by the Rugby Football Union.
The 29-year-old Bristol centre, who moved to England to play for London Irish in 2021, has been selected at the expense of Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, even though he will not be available for England’s opening Nations Championship match against South Africa in Johannesburg on July 4.
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Max Ojomoh will not have the opportunity to add to his two england caps during this summer’s Nations Championship matches - Justin Tallis /Getty Images
Care told the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast that van Rensburg’s selection “doesn’t sit right with me”, while Tindall told The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast that he did not understand the decision to select him ahead of Ojomoh and Lawrence. “I wouldn’t say he’s exceptionally better than what we have,” said Tindall.
However, Borthwick, who said he had been tracking van Rensburg, a former centre with London Irish for the last four years since he was director of rugby at Leicester, said he had been “warmly welcomed” by the players in his 42-man squad.
“I pick the players I want to pick, that I think are the right players for us,” said Borthwick. “I consult with my coaches and make my decision. I think he’s an outstanding player and an outstanding character. It’s very competitive, as a number of positions are.
“There are players that aren’t in the squad that are very good players. In certain positions it’s very competitive. World Rugby rules are very clear about when players become eligible. He’s a player who I think is very good. In fact, a number of people sat around here have had multiple conversations with me about him, asking when he qualifies and talking about when he qualifies. You guys rate him as well. He’s a good player. I’ve enjoyed working with him this last day and a half and I’m looking forward to seeing him on the field tomorrow.
“When I was at Leicester coaching against London Irish, every time I analysed them I saw this player who had this carry threat, then it was how much ground he covered in defence, what he did around the defensive breakdown, the amount of jackals he would win, then his distribution which I think has got even better at Bristol. He has an ability to 12 and 13.
“When I chat to anyone about him, to a man they say what an incredible character he is. I’ve spoken to him a number of times, and now I get a chance to get to know him, see him on the grass for the first time today. I thought he was very good.”
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Steve Borthwick says he has been tracking Janse van Rensburg for the last four years - Ian Walton/AP
Borthwick confirmed that he was considering resting a number of senior players, including England captain Maro Itoje and Ben Spencer, for the July Tests against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina, while Leicester forward Ollie Chessum could come into consideration to captain the side in his absence.
“I think treat each player on an individual basis, and Maro, that conversation, myself and Phil Morrow (England’s head of performance) met with Maro and had a discussion about what’s right for him,” Borthwick added. “This last year has been a big year for a number of different reasons, a challenging year for a number of different reasons. So clearly, as we are right now, it’s an ongoing conversation.”
Fin Baxter has been ruled out of the series after undergoing surgery to his foot, while Sam Underhill could also miss out.
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