BENHARD JANSE VAN RENSBURG

Bristol's South African centre has one eye on an England call-up in 2026

- Josh Graham

TO SAY Benhard Janse van Rensburg hit the ground running in his first year at Bristol Bears would be a gross understatement.

The demise of London Irish left the highly-rated South African centre looking for a new club and Pat Lam swooped to make – along with Finn Russell’s move to Bath – one of the signings of the season. To underline his impact in the West Country, BV – as he is known – left the Bears awards night with gongs for the Fans’ Player of the Season, Back of the Season and Player of the Season.

He finished as strong as he started, with the Premiership Player of the Month award for April, but that was little comfort when Bristol missed out on the top four despite hammering Harlequins on the final day.

“I loved last season, my first at Bristol,” Janse van Rensburg tells Rugby World. “The type of rugby we played is the type of rugby I love, so I enjoyed my first season.

“We had a tough start where we lost a few games when we were just on the wrong side of the result, but we had a really good finish, so it was heartbreaking we didn’t then make the play-offs.”

He may have carved up on the pitch with Irish, but Janse van Rensburg admits he never really took to life in the capital and is much happier in the village of Failand on the outskirts of Bristol.