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.
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Denne historien er fra January 2025-utgaven av Rugby World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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ALL EYES ON ROSS
OSS VINTCENT sees a lot of similarities between Exeter and Italy, the two teams for whom he struts his powerful, dynamic stuff. The 22-year-old No 8 recognises the crossover in age profile and mentality but is also well aware of the potential shared pitfalls, having been part of a young Chiefs group's struggles to back up an impressive breakout campaign.
BABY BLEU
Léo Barré is the latest in a line of young French stars hoping to bury the blues of last season's World Cup
Tom Voyce
RW pays tribute to the late England wing who was a key part of Wasps' golden era
"Scotland v Ireland is key to the whole shooting match"
Selection for the Lions four will hinge greatly on the Six Nations, says Stephen Jones. So who are the bolters who can force their way in?
Spanish steps
It's a new era for los Leones and their impressive coach Pablo Bouza - and only qualification for the 2027 World Cup will do
OLD PRIORIAN RFC
Giving grass-roots rugby the love that it deserves....
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? MEL DEANE
I WAS at Wasps as a youngster, then signed for Richmond as a pro when I finished university in 1996. I played in Richmond's 106-12 win over Bedford in 1999 - still the biggest-ever Premiership victory.
MY RUGBY WORLD WITH STUART MCINALLY
The ex-Scotland captain turned commercial pilot on Blair Kinghorn, lucky boxers and a famous try
"YOU'RE A LONG TIME RETIRED"
After a ten-year hiatus, Rugby World editor Joe Robinson strapped the boots back on and returned to the rugby field
DOWNTIME WITH... Helena Rowland "I'd love to learn the fiddle and play country music"
The Loughborough and Red Roses star on violin playing, air fryers and historical fiction
