In our ongoing article series, we explore players who have earned a single Springbok cap yet continue to play competitively.
This week, we focused on flyhalf Robert du Preez’s lone Springbok Test. Du Preez is currently active in England with the Sale Sharks, a team he joined in 2019.
While many players have retired after just one Springbok cap, there are still a few striving to enhance their international careers.
WHO ARE THE ONE-CAP SPRINGBOK PLAYERS STILL ACTIVE?
Rohan Janse van Rensburg
Janse van Rensburg is known in the Springbok realm for his performance in a non-cap friendly against the Barbarians XV, where he scored a crucial try to clinch a 31-31 draw.
He was also part of the Springboks’ 2016 end-of-year tour squad, playing his sole Test against Wales in Cardiff, which ended in a 13-27 loss for the Springboks.
That year, Janse van Rensburg showed remarkable form with the Lions, prompting calls for his more frequent inclusion in the Springbok team.
However, the robust centre eventually drifted from the Springbok scene and left the Lions in 2018 for England, where he regularly played for the Sale Sharks.
Last year, the 29-year-old returned to South Africa, joining the Durban-based Sharks, but he hasn’t yet rediscovered the form and fitness necessary to reenter the Bok consideration.
In his early rugby career, Janse van Rensburg was selected for the S.A. Schools squad in 2012 and the South Africa Under-20 team for the 2013 and 2014 Junior World Championship tournaments.
With time still on his side, it’s an open question whether Janse van Rensburg can return to his peak and revive his Springbok ambitions.
