SPRINGBOK fans can be forgiven for wondering who Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg is, even if he has played a Test match for South Africa.
Van Rensburg is a 30-year-old product of the Blue Bulls system, and he has been recalled to the Springbok squad for the two-match Rugby Championship series against New Zealand because of injury problems at lock.
Janse van Rensburg earned his only Test cap against Argentina in Gqeberha in the Covid-plagued 2021 season.
Later that year, he toured Australia during the Rugby Championship, but was not further capped. He then asked to be released from the squad for “personal reasons”.
Those were tumultuous times, and Van Rensburg had his reasons for returning to Montpellier.
It would be speculative to guess whether this was the reason Bok coach Rassie Erasmus had ignored him until now, but the bottom line is that the former Affies learner is back – all two metres and 115kg of him – as Erasmus bolstered his options in a position where he has lost Franco Mostert, Jean Kleyn and Lood de Jager to long-term injury.
Also, RG Snyman is injured yet again, this time with a foot problem that kept him out of the Brisbane Test he was supposed to start.
Erasmus said: “As a team, we are in a good position in terms of squad depth with 32 of the 33 players on tour playing against the Wallabies – the only exception was RG Snyman, who suffered a foot niggle – and we have full faith in the young players to showcase their talent once again against a completely different opponent in New Zealand.
“Adding to that, all these players, except for Nicolaas, were members of our training squad in Pretoria in July and our alignment camps earlier in the year, and they have been regular members of the squad in the last few years, so they understand our systems and should slot in with ease.
“Nicolaas has had a good season with Montpellier and is a capped Springbok, so we are excited to welcome him back into the fold.”
Erasmus added that Snyman should be available for selection for the opening Test against the All Blacks on August 31.
“RG should be able to train with us this week, and if that’s the case, he will be in contention for selection for the Test against New Zealand in Johannesburg,” said Erasmus.
“We are also excited to see what some of the young players can do in these two Tests if they get a run after making a strong impression on the coaches so far this season.
“Similarly to the coaches, they are fully aware that this will be a new challenge in intense matches between two of the biggest rivals in world rugby, but the experience they gained in Australia in two tough Test matches – one of which was in extreme weather conditions – will set them in good stead going into this series.”
Erasmus increased his squad to 37 as he welcomed back from injury Steven Kitshoff, Jaden Hendrikse and Canan Moodie, and also recalled fellow World Cup winners Jasper Wiese and André Esterhuizen.
“It’s good to have Steven, Jaden and Canan back from injury, along with Jasper and André,” Erasmus said.
“They are all World Cup winners. They have delivered quality performances consistently against the top teams in the world, so they’ll bring experience and their unique skill-sets to this squad.”