'It's something I just grew up with, I've no idea where it comes from'
Benhard Janse van Rensburg will have enjoyed the Saturday night bus ride home with London Irish. The deserved win over Bath gave the team a huge leg up in the Gallagher Premiership table in the race for the playoffs and there was sure to be the usual craic as they wound their way along the M4.
The South African didn’t travel down with them on Saturday morning. He and a few others at the Exiles prefer to get these journeys done earlier than game day. “It’s different from person to person,” he explained on Friday afternoon to RugbyPass before hitting the road west towards The Rec where he was a 59th-minute try-scorer in the 25-10 victory.
“Some people enjoy spending the night before the game with their families and they don’t mind sitting on the bus the next day before the game. I’m just a little bit used to trying to stay as close as possible to the game the next day so that I don’t have to spend those two-and-a-half hours on the bus before a game.
“Then I don’t have to wake up that early in the morning. I can just be calm and stretch my legs a little bit before the game. But if we get a win on an away trip like that, the bus ride back is always fun. (Agustin) Creevy normally takes over the speaker, plays some Argentinian songs and the playlist he has. Then after an hour, he will just open the floor for everyone that has requests.”
It was the summer of 2021 when the now 26-year-old first arrived at London Irish after a Japanese pitstop at the Green Rockets Tokatsu. Corniel van Zyl was the conduit. Having worked with van Rensburg at the Cheetahs, he put a good word in at the Exiles and the match-up has been idyllic.
The wait is finally over and the votes have been counted ??
The first Gallagher Player of the Month for 2023 is @londonirish player Benhard Janse van Rensburg ?
Read more here:https://t.co/HrHPErRP0r pic.twitter.com/8s5NNy27up
— Gallagher UK (@GallagherUK) February 9, 2023
Saturday was van Rensburg’s 48th appearance and he went into it as the Gallagher Premiership’s player of the month for January. Good going, especially when you consider his December faux-pax of somehow standing on a knife at home and inflicting a five-stitch wound. He just loves playing for the club.
“It’s the type of rugby, the exciting brand, it makes it so enjoyable. The attacking rugby, the attacking mindset, that is the type of rugby I love playing. Any young guy that comes to Irish and fits into their style of rugby will enjoy it here.
“We always have a go. Tight game, loose game, 30 points ahead, 30 points behind, we will always have a go. We score some amazing tries and have some amazing young lads. It makes it so exciting. To have someone on the field next to you that does something amazing hypes you up.”
This season’s highlight was a Christmas Eve eve gift, London Irish striking against the grain in the final minute to see out a December 23 home win over Saracens. “We were two points ahead with a minute on the clock when they got a penalty and kicked it out on the halfway. We turned over the lineout and Tom Pearson ran almost onto the five and we scored off that.”
Pace is the joyous London Irish calling card, the likes of Henry Arundell, Ollie Hassell-Collins and Ben Loader underpinning the attack-from-anywhere mentality. “If someone kicks a ball onto Henry at full-back, or Ben or Ollie, as you are running back you are always expecting something to happen from them.
“That is amazing, to have that type of running mindset to go, ‘Listen, something is going to happen now’. If I’m in the midfield and have someone like Henry outside, you always think if there is a little bit of space my mind says to get the ball to them and they can use that space. If they get half a gap, they are probably gone.”
How does van Rensburg shape up against this lot in the sprint stakes? “No, not a chance. I don’t think I’d ever take them on in a sprint. They’re not in my league, they are definitely a few leagues above me. With the speed they are, they can take on one another, but I would challenge them in a breakdown contest maybe.”
That’s naughty. Sticking the head in where it potentially gets hurt is trademark van Rensburg. Coming into this weekend’s round 17 fixtures, he rated joint seventh on the list of turnovers won. His tally of 11 was equal to Tom Curry, not shabby at all in a breakdown foraging list topped by Will Evans, Ben Earl and Tommy Reffell. Why is the South African so fearlessly potent in this skill?
Poor Benhard Janse van Rensburg…
You can't get a moment's peace with Craig Doyle around! ?#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/xuyx5ejy6v
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) October 14, 2022
“That is something I just grew up with, I have no idea where it comes from or why I started doing it. It’s not a usual thing for a back to do but I just grew up doing it. You have to pick your moments when you want to do it and then you just hope for the best, not getting any injuries or whatever. I don’t try and think too much, if I see that opportunity I just go for it.
“The biggest thing is you don’t want to have that mindset, ‘Oh s***, if I go there I might get an injury or someone might hurt me, whatever’. I just think if you have the right posture going over that ball and you just stay strong over the ball, stay as strong as possible, you don’t have to worry about anything.
“I mean, accidents maybe do happen but if you don’t think about it too much then hopefully it won’t happen to you. Yeah, just try not to think about it too much, try not to think about all the worst things that can happen. I mean, it is a good thing to have. Making a turnover at the breakdown is a big momentum shift for your team, so try not to think about it too much.
“As a defence, the best outcome is to get a turnover or force an error from them. It is definitely a big momentum shift if you can get a breakdown turnover, it shifts the mindset from defence to attack and if you get a penalty at the breakdown it gets you 25, 30 metres up the field and maybe into their 22 or into their half where you can play your attacking rugby.”
Benhard Janse van Rensburg is fast becoming my fave player to follow in the Prem. Thought he was just a bash and barge merchant with good defence but he's got game smarts and disbrute as well. Also seems pretty bullet proof in the body which is a skill in it's own right. #LIRvBRI
— Huw Tindall (@HuwTindall) January 8, 2023
Van Rensburg never doubted his rugby potential despite his off-the-beaten-track upbringing in Thabazimbi. Notable performances for the Leopards U19s were followed by university days at NWU Pukke where his progress was accelerated by a 2016 Varsity Cup title and selection for the South Africa U20s.
“I wouldn’t say I doubted that I was going to make it. I was in a very small school, so I went to university with the mindset of, ‘I’m going to study and play as much rugby as I can and just enjoy it’. I didn’t have that thought that I might play professional rugby one day, but then things just started working out for me a little bit.
“I got called up into the Varsity Cup group and we won it that season. From there on, I was ‘I can actually make it’ and since then I had that mindset that I never doubted myself.”
A curiosity about that pivotal university breakthrough was van Rensburg being the scorer of rugby’s first-ever nine-point try. “That was something they brought in that year just to make it more exciting, to get teams to run the ball out of their own half, and I was very lucky that I was on the receiving end of the first one. Nine points and the conversion was an extra two.”
Benhard Janse van Rensburg has arrived in the Junior Bok camp. Straight from the airport to training @Springboks pic.twitter.com/VkKzu7d1oX
— SA Junior Rugby (@SAJuniorRugby) June 23, 2016
Would he like that type of scoring quirk used in the Premiership? “I don’t really know. We would enjoy it because we score tries from everywhere but nine points is a lot. I remember one game, we had two slip-offs one after another and just like that, you were 22 points behind. It’s a little bit wild. I don’t know if that is going to work over here, but London Irish would benefit a lot from it.”
Back, though, to his South African backstory: After college, the Sharks took an immediate shine but it was at the Cheetahs, following a brief detour to the Southern Kings, where van Rensburg came of age in the pro game. Franco Smith was the facilitator, allowing the then fly-half to learn the ropes in both midfield positions.
He is forever grateful for that tuition and annoyed that the Cheetahs, along with the disbanded Kings, are no longer URC participants. Instead, the big-four South African franchises muscled in on a territory where the Bloemfontein club were pioneers in coming north to play.
“I wish there were more teams. There are so many young boys who want to play rugby and not enough space in the four big franchises, I almost want to say I made my name when I played at the Cheetahs and when they had a competition to play in. I don’t really know how you fix something like that but if you can maybe have more teams in South Africa, it would benefit a lot of the younger guys who come out of school.
“For a youngster to go through all the ranks in South Africa, it is tight and you have to be disciplined in yourself, work really hard to be seen. I played Varsity Cup and after that went to the Sharks. I didn’t play as much but then I got the opportunity to play under Franco Smith at the Cheetahs and that was just amazing for me. He wanted to give me a go in the centres and now I’m capable of playing fly-half, inside centre, outside centre.”
BV as he is known – ‘The first letter of my name and the first letter of my surname to keep it as short as possible’ – these days keeps himself busy away from rugby on the golf course. “The weather makes it a little difficult to play in the winter because it is very wet and cold. I normally play off a nine handicap but I didn’t play so well the last few rounds, so I’m probably higher than that.”
With Bath now beaten on the rugby pitch, next up for London Irish is next Saturday night’s rendezvous at Brentford with Leicester. Picking up points during this Six Nations period is crucial for the end-of-term ambitions. “After these games, we will know better who is going to qualify. It is also important to take advantage of some of the teams losing a few players to the Six Nations squads.
“Brentford is an amazing stadium to play at, amazing atmosphere. I’m very glad we have got those wins against Saracens, Bristol, Harlequins – they are big wins and hopefully we can keep the fans coming.”
Comments on RugbyPass
it’ll all be released in an autobiography a few years from now….. “Razor shafted me” blah blah blah. thinking of making Scott Barrett captain might be a good move. Could calm down his brain fades & make him an even better player for them
3 Go to commentsSadly he played far too many games too young. England and France really do need to look after their younger players better.
1 Go to commentsHaving finally been able to watch the first Chasing the Sun (thanks RugbyPass!) - because I refuse to pay DSTV's extortionate monthly fee in SA - after four years, it was amazing to see Mapimpi's story as well as seeing my personal hero, Rassie, breaking down when telling it. There _is_ hope for the country, but only once we've got rid of the crooked and incompetent ANC (and others) who have set out to destroy it. Viva Rassie, viva Kolisi viva rugby!
1 Go to commentsWhether true or not, all the best to you Sam Cane. A warrior of a player and a loyal servant to the ABs! Go get you some yen and have some fun.
3 Go to commentsThe game was changing too much with teams trying to role the dice drawing fouls. Would be better if scrums and the adjudicating problems were resolved but this is a good immediate fix.
37 Go to commentsLike many here I am encouraged by this post. Our forwards are where the real rewards and improvements must come from. With a 50/50 pack against any opposition, our backs could ensure more than 50% of the games will be won. We need Valetini at 6 and Cale at 8 to make the most or a good tight 5, McWright will add to the effectiveness of the pack BUT must get a very good tight 5 out there first.
106 Go to commentsThe key point I think that is missing is that if Joseph wants to guarantee a Lions spot, he really has to play wing in his first year. He is easily going to nail down whatever he wants to do, but with just half a season, how much of a factor he proves to be in the Lions series could be dictated by this initial choice of playing position.
8 Go to commentsthe game was 2 weeks before the challenge cup final. I really don’t believe they needed to rest that many players.
1 Go to commentsI really feel like neither of the Vunipolas is given the respect they deserve. I would have liked to see both of them get a few more caps than they have gotten in the past couple of years, but unfortunately the fact that they both peaked young has meant that for a number of years they have been perceived as disappointments. When they are both retired, in the cold light of day they will be recognised as two of the best players of their generation of any nation.
2 Go to commentsthis generation of saracens players could produce some really incredible coaches. When Farrell retires he could walk into any premiership team as a defence, attack, or kicking coach. Itoje could make it as a defence or a lineout coach, and Jamie George as a lineout or scrum coach. The problem the Vunipolas are going to have is that its not clear what their coaching speciality would be. Neither are great in the set piece, and while they were good in attack and defence, they were never tactical masterminds. Perhaps contact skills would be their ideal brief? Mako perhaps could work in strength & conditioning, but Billy has a bit of a reputation for not taking that side of the game seriously.
2 Go to commentsA very good player.We are finally getting some balance in our team. Plummer..Heem ..Lam a solid..experienced combo who take the sensible options consistently. Clarke was a grt impact of the bench option until Lam moved to 13 to replace an injured Reiko. Cotter is doing a grt job building his team. .
1 Go to commentsSaturday was last straw. Terrible record in Premiership since Jan 23. Capitulation against Bath at home. There are 3 conclusions. Players aren't good enough. Coaching team aren't good enough or combination of both.
2 Go to commentsAs you say in your article Brett, the point was Hamish and his vanity - plain and simple. The crazy bit is that sua’ali’i has to be probably twice the player of mark N, no easy feat, just for RA to get their money's worth!?! And as you say, tahs aren't short of wingers, props on the other hand id like to see $1.6m spent on. I still shake my head at the absolute carry on in the media and comments section around the boon of getting sua’ali’i and the revenue it'd generate. It was all such hogwash imo and short sighted, real sugar hit stuff. And wasnt Waugh (and others) on the board at the time this money was spent? You say silver bullet, I'd say sugar hit but without the flavour.
8 Go to commentsNZR should play hard all a bit with some of these players and make them sign up to the next world cup. If they won’t, offer it to someone who will. Because what happens is the NH (especially France) swoop on a bunch of nz players coming off contract, weakening their depth, and nz scrambles less than 2 years out trying to get replacements up to speed.
1 Go to commentsNo thanks. Savea almost always leaves easy points out there and goes for the corner, no matter how many times it’s not working. He claimed he took “the learnings” from this when he kept making the same mistake against the Boks a few years ago. Then went out the very next week and did the same thing and SA snatched victory because of it. Years later he still does it, right up to and including the world cup final. Great player, not so great rugby nous.
10 Go to commentsIt certainly wasn't a rhetorical masterpiece coming from big E …. (just as a side remark: Eben is the better player, Siya by far the better talker - maybe that's why they don't seem to like each other very much) …. but could we please move on?
71 Go to commentsMan who wasn't there and hasn't held a conversation with those who were present weighs in on dead rubber debate and is presented as representative of the Irish Rugby Union’s spokesperson on subject he has no apparent knowledge of whatsoever.
71 Go to commentsanybody who bends at the waist when they tackle
6 Go to commentsThe evidence is not strong that this is necessary. Mounga choked on clutch kicks in the WRC final and lost the match by not performing his core goal kicking role to the level required. He also choked in the Semi final against England and was targeted as the weak point in the defence allowing them to score. Not a test great frankly. Why bend the rules for a player that is competent but not brilliant at test level?
11 Go to commentsDear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to comments