Borthwick defends Janse van Rensburg selection for England

Steve Borthwick says he understands criticism of his selection of South Africa-born centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg - but that his job is to build the best possible England team with whichever players are eligible.

Janse van Rensburg has previously played for South Africa's under-20s, but is part of a three-day England training camp as he prepares to complete the five years of residency necessary to become eligible to make his debut this July.

Former England scrum-half Danny Care was among those to question the decision to pick 29-year-old Janse van Rensburg ahead of Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who have progressed through England's pathway system.

England's policy of only picking players from domestic clubs means Bristol's Janse van Rensburg is available to Borthwick, while Toulouse flanker Jack Willis and Toulon prop Kyle Sinckler – both of whom played for England at the last Rugby World Cup - are currently not at his disposal.

"I understand the discussion and why people would ask and question that," England head coach Borthwick told BBC Sport.

"From my point of view, he's a player who's eligible to play for England and he's committed his future to playing rugby in England.

"My role is to help develop the best England team we possibly can, with all the players that are eligible to play for England."

Janse van Rensburg has been one of the Prem's most consistent midfielders since arriving at London Irish in 2021, impressing on both sides of the ball.

"He's a player I've thought very highly of for a long time," added Borthwick.

"When I was coaching at Leicester Tigers, whenever we previewed London Irish, he was such a talisman for them. I spoke to a number of people around him, and everyone tells us what a great man he is, what a fantastic team man, an incredible character.

"I think he brings some of the strengths that are reasonably unique. His ability to play 12 and 13, his carry threat, as well as being a distributor, and the amount of ground he covers in defence.

"The way he runs for his team is very impressive."

Borthwick said he spoke to Lawrence – one of 25 players on a central contract – last week to explain his decision.

"I recognise that there are really, really good players that aren't on the squad," he said.

"In this role, there's tough decision to make and those are the decision you want to make because you've got lots of good players."

Janse van Rensburg would be far from the first player to represent England whose only links to the country were through an extended stay in it.

Fiji-born number eight Nathan Hughes won 22 England caps between 2016 and 2019 after serving out his residency spell.

He has since switched allegiances to Fiji under World Rugby's 'birthright' rule, which allows players to represent a second nation after three years out of Test rugby.

Centre Manu Tuilagi, who arrived in England from Samoa at 13 and came close to being deported when it was discovered he had overstayed a tourist visa, became an integral part of England's midfield for more than a decade.

Wing Semesa Rokoduguni, a Fijian who served in the British Army, and Denny Solomona, an Auckland-born wing who previously represented Samoa in rugby league, were also capped after qualifying on residency grounds.

World Rugby increased the residency requirement to five years at the end of 2020.

Meanwhile Borthwick confirmed that he is in an "ongoing conversation" with captain Maro Itoje over his involvement in the team's summer fixtures against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina.