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17 stone centre credits genes and not weight training for massive physique
Rohan Janse van Rensburg wants to power Sale into the Gallagher Premiership play-offs and relaunch his Springbok career with the aim of facing the British and Irish Lions on their 2021 tour of South Africa.
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Van Rensburg, 6ft and 17st, has become one of the most destructive ball-carrying centre’s in Europe and will have a key role to play as Sale attempt to inflict more pain on Saracens when the teams meet in the Premiership at Allianz Park on Saturday. The 25-year-old goes into that game having beaten 47 defenders – more than any other player in the Premiership.
Saracens are already resigned to relegation after breaking the salary cap while Sale are in third place just four points behind leaders Exeter, the team they beat 22-19 at Sandy Park in their last league fixture. Van Rensburg was cited for a big tackle on Exeter’s Gareth Steenson and despite being cleared he had to wait for the verdict after an appeal against the ruling by the Rugby Football Union.
He was again found not guilty and lines up against Saracens, the team that showed Sale the value of a strong South African influence.
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Besides van Rensburg, the Sale squad now features the South African rugby talents of skipper Jono Ross, the three du Preez brothers Rob, Dan and Jean Luc, prop Coenie Oosthuizen, lock Lood de Jager, hooker Akker van der Merwe and mercurial scrumhalf Faf de Klerk who is expected back from his knee ligament injury in two weeks.
If that wasn’t enough to make van Rensburg feel at home, his brother Tiaan has joined the Manchester police force after transferring from Glasgow.
Van Rensburg, whose only cap came against Wales in 2016, is acutely aware of the role Sale played in reviving de Klerk’s test career with the scrumhalf and de Jager having helped the Springboks win the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan by defeating England, featuring teammate Tom Curry, in the final.
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All systems go for league's controversial recruithttps://t.co/8FGa9Dx5ol
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 13, 2020
Now, he wants to follow de Klerk’s lead and put together a current CV that warrants a Springbok recall and the looming test series between the World Cup winners and the Lions is a major motivating factor. He told RugbyPass: “My motivation is to try and play for the Springboks and I am going to push hard to get back into the mix even if it’s just to train with them.
“I am going to just keep pushing hard and hopefully my opportunity (to play for the Boks) will come again and I can take it with both hands. After the World Cup they are on such a high and what Rassie (Erasmus) has built is fantastic and you want to be part of that. Talk about joining the Six Nations is interesting and whatever they do will be good for South African rugby.
“We have a lot of South Africans playing here and we are very respectful of everything and with Lood coming in maybe there will be a few different line outs. You hear the guys talking about Lood and saying “that is a big human being” and when he walks into the room there is then a big presence and everyone is excited to see him back.
Dai Young could be about to return to Wales. https://t.co/Nw9U6HgQCa
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 13, 2020
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“There are a bunch of things that help me perform well and this season things have progressed in the right direction and we have had continuity which helps gel with the guys around you. Our win at Exeter was big and gave us that confidence that when we go away from home that anything can happen. It proved we can go to somewhere like Exeter and get a win and now we have Saracens and I haven’t played there before and after what has happened in the last few months to them they will come out with lots of passion.
“If we stay humble we can reach a top four finish to make the play-offs and the crazy thing is that because of injury and test call ups we haven’t put out our full-strength side yet. It’s been a roller coaster so far but we have a really strong foundation.”
Van Rensburg has battled against serious injury and personal tragedy during his career and in 2017 his mother, Renthia, died of cancer, he suffered a knee injury a month later which ruled him out for 12 weeks then armed robbers broke into his home, threatened his girlfriend and pointed a gun to his head.
The burly centre used rugby to help him over those incidents and opted to join Sale on a three-year deal in June 2018 after a successful loan spell in Manchester, although his former Lions coach Johan Ackermann was interested in taking him to Gloucester. Instead, van Rensburg chose to join Sale and credits Steve Diamond, the club’s director of rugby, for helping him settle in and make the most of his rugby talents with his physique down to genes rather than weight training.
“I have always been the more bulkier guy in the team and there hasn’t been any weight training or power training – it is just the way I am built,” he added. “I have to thank my parents for that.
Sale want us to grow as a unit with a good foundation in your game like kick chase which maybe you don’t think about and they also make sure you play to your strengths.
“Everyone who has come from abroad can just concentrate on their game and it’s a very empowering atmosphere.
“Dimes has an open door policy which is great and my brother has been living here for seven years and was with the police in Glasgow and has now moved down to Manchester. It’s nice to have him close by.”
Van Rensburg is part of a squad containing three sets of brothers – two identical Ben and Tom Curry plus Jean Luc and Dan du Preez – which can cause some confusion as he admitted: “I can tell the difference off the pitch but there have been times in a match when they both played Ben has done something and I have said “well done Ben” and I got the reply “no it’s Tom!”
Comments on RugbyPass
Think you might have written this just before the Brumbies got thrashed last weekend
5 Go to commentsI really do believe that Billy Proctor should be selected at least in the larger squad but also it would be my choice at 13, much more a center than Ioane who can still play at wing. Roigard if fit should play, otherwise it should be Perenara or Christie. Also, Iose could deserve a spot at blindside. Of course, being a Canes supporter I’m biased but I really believe that at least Billy P is deserving a chance and being Holland one of the Selectors, I’m having a little hope he could grab it.
12 Go to commentsI would not play Swinton I’d pick Wright or Hanigan. The rest are decent starters, but can’t agree on any subs except Tupou. My take on the subs: Gibbon, Ueslese, Tupou, LSL, Wilson, White, Will Harrison, and Petaia.
5 Go to commentsSBW the biggest moron to pull on a black jersey a park footy player at best
7 Go to commentsSBW is fast becoming a laughing stock, his misplaced comments & lack of insight Is actually pretty sad.
7 Go to commentsJust well you guys are couch 🛋 potatoes selector's, picking a team of greenhorns to play England! “What are you people smoking?” The halfbacks will be Christie, Fakatava, Perenara Props; Newell, Bower, Lomax, Tunga'fasi, Hookers; Asosa Amua when fit, Taylor, Samisoni,
12 Go to commentsQuite frankly, all this is a bit pathetic. The first time Wales get the Wooden Spoon in 21 years and everyone is on the bandwagon for a ‘play-off’ game. Wales have no obligation to Georgia and no obligation to the rest of the Six Nations to play such a game. If they want Georgia in so badly then they need to include South Africa into a Northern Hemisphere competition with 2 leagues of 4 teams with the top 2 competing for the Championship. Sadly, this will end Triple Crowns and Grand Slams forever. Is this really what you want?
4 Go to commentsI think Finau to start Blackadder to come on. Poss Prokter instead of Ioane, haven't seen much from Reiko so far this year.
12 Go to commentsJoe will have had a good chat with Dave Rennie, a smart move to begin with while it’s doubtful Fast Eddie will be consulted? Plenty of Aus players hitting top form so they should go OK.
5 Go to commentsMmm. Not sure I like this article or see it as necessary.
7 Go to commentsBlackadder but no Finau! 😀 It’s Razor so you are probably right, plus Taylor at 2…
12 Go to commentsThe strongest possible AB side would actually include Aaron Smith, Bodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Shannon Frizzel.. don’t get me started on the rest of the injury hit brigade that got flung on the heap so left. Many a whole not getting filled as of yet.
12 Go to commentsI don’t think anyone knows what Schmidt will do, one thing is certain it ain’t gonna be all the picks we on the keyboard will think. My impression of him is that he will be looking at who can step up and what is the best combination. He will ignore individuals as he looks for guys who can build a powerful team and not just guys who can make a flashy run or ignore the winger as they want to score themselves.
5 Go to commentsSome dumb selections there. Not Porecki Not Donaldson Not Gordon Not Lonegran - both Not Nic White - Fines instead Not Liam Wright Not Paisami Definitely not Vunivalu Other than that not bad.
5 Go to commentsI've never been convinced that Patty T is a test match all black. Otherwise I probably agree it's the best side available to beat the poms. Caveat that Codie Taylor is yet to be seen and could very likely warrant selection by June. I hope that Razor brings the young loosies, half backs and locks into the training squad and develops/ selects the best
12 Go to commentsYou doing the same thing I disliked about the example of Samisoni Taukei'aho, Nick. He’s great the way he is, you’re trying to do what modern-day coaches frustrate me doing, turning everyone into the perfect athlete. Next thing you’ll be telling me you’ll bench him until he’s hit that arbitrary marker, and can’t overtake the current guy who’s doing all his workons. He’s a young Kieran Read, through and through, plays wide and has threat, mainly (and evident in your clips) through his two hand carry and speed. Just let him work on that, or whatever he wants, and determine his own future. Play God and you risk the players going sideways, like Read did, instead of being a Toutai Kefu. I mean I was in the same camp for a while, wanting our tight five to have the size, and carry ability, as the teams they were getting beat by. Now I’m starting to believe those teams just have better skilled and practiced individuals, bigger by upwards of 5kg sometimes, sure, but more influentially they have those intrinsic skills of trust and awareness. Basically our guys just didn’t know wtf they were doing. Don’t think I’m trying to prove a point here but hasn’t Caleb Clarke been in much better form this year, or does he just ‘look’ better now that he’s not always trying to use his size?
44 Go to commentsThe pack lacks a little in height for the line out and I wouldn’t be completely convinced by some of the combinations till we see it in action.
12 Go to commentsThe side is good but lacks experience. International playing bona fides udually trumps super rugby form for good reason. And incumbents are usually stuck with. Codie Taylor should start or come off the bench. B Barrett will start at fullback. Blackadder has not earned the position, Finau has. TJs experience and competitiveness earns him a starting role, Christie or Ratima off the bench
12 Go to commentsPretty good side. Scott Barrett should be the captain. Ethan Blackadder a great choice at blindside. He is going to go from strength to strength having made a couple of starts for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson rates him highly. Perenara could start a no 9.
12 Go to commentsI question and with respect. Was enough done over the last few years to bring through new blood knowing the Whitelocks and co couldn’t last forever. There should have been more done to future proof the team. New squad new coach, he and they weren’t set up well. IMO
6 Go to comments