Rassie Erasmus has revealed whether the Springboks ever considered selecting Benhard Janse van Rensburg, who can now play for England.

The in-form Bristol Bears centre became eligible for Steve Borthwick’s side after World Rugby approved a rare exemption allowing him to switch allegiance from South Africa to England.

Janse van Rensburg had been considered “captured” by South Africa due to his brief appearance for the Junior Boks at the 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship. At the time, the SA U20s were a designated capture team, meaning players could only change nations through birthright, which Janse van Rensburg could not do.

MORE: Ex-Junior Bok cleared to play for England

Erasmus on Thursday admitted that the Bok coaches had had an eye on the 28-year-old.

“He’s certainly a guy we’ve looked at many times and thought, OK, can he do it? Every time you see him play, he has a great game. Some of our coaches know him really well.”

Of the potential switch to England, Erasmus said: “They found a special ruling that allows him to play.”

“We wouldn’t like to stand in a guy’s way if he can make it for England. If two of our centres go down, he might be in the mix, but we also have a lot of young guys in South Africa that we think can do it. So good for him that he can play for them.”

RASSIE: Japan no country for young Bok hopefuls

Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images