England head coach Steve Borthwick has named a 42-player squad for a three-day training camp ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship.
The squad assembled on Monday, 18 May and will train at England’s Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park until Wednesday.
England begin their Nations Championship campaign against South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday, 4 July, followed by matches against Fiji and Argentina.
Former Junior Springbok included
Former Junior Springbok Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been included in the squad despite only officially becoming eligible to represent England on 8 July.
The 29-year-old centre, who currently plays for Bristol Bears, will therefore be unavailable for England’s highly anticipated clash against the Springboks at Ellis Park on 4 July, but could make his Test debut against Fiji the following weekend.
Residency Opens Door to England Call-Up
Janse van Rensburg qualifies for England through residency after spending five years in the country following his move to London Irish.
However, his selection was not straightforward.
The midfielder had previously represented South Africa at junior level, making a 21-minute appearance off the bench for the Junior Boks in 2016, which under earlier World Rugby regulations would ordinarily have tied him to South Africa permanently.
England’s governing body, the Rugby Football Union (RFU), reportedly sought special dispensation from World Rugby to allow Janse van Rensburg to be considered for selection.
The RFU successfully argued that such a brief junior appearance should not prevent him from qualifying for England under modern residency rules.
Potential Debut Looms
Janse van Rensburg’s inclusion highlights England’s efforts to strengthen midfield depth as Borthwick prepares for a demanding international schedule.
For the former Junior Bok, the call-up marks a remarkable chapter in a rugby journey that began in South Africa but may now culminate on the international stage in English colours.
England training squad
Forwards
Jamie Blamire, Ollie Chessum, Arthur Clark, Alex Coles, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Alex Dombrandt, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Emmanuel Iyogun, George Martin, Beno Obano, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Vilikesa Sela, Kepu Tuipulotu
Backs
Seb Atkinson, Charlie Bracken, Noah Caluori, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, George Ford, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Archie McParland, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Adam Radwan, Tom Roebuck, Henry Slade, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet
Rehabilitation: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
