officially comfirmed: Three Springboks to leave French club after forward granted early release – report

Springboks forward Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg is set to return to South Africa after requesting an early release from his contract.

The one-Test cap back-five forward joined the French outfit in 2016, racking up over 150 appearances with the club since and has won a Challenge Cup and Top 14 title.

A lineout general, Janse van Rensburg has played much of his rugby on the side of the scrum for Montpellier but is equally comfortable in the second row.

Janse van Rensburg set for SA return

The 30-year-old earned his only cap for the Springboks back in 2021, making his Test debut against Argentina in Port Elizabeth.

However, he is still in the Springboks’ selection frame after earning a call-up to Rassie Erasmus’ squad during the 2024 Rugby Championship. He did not earn a second cap for South Africa with Bulls star Ruan Nortje preferred.

He would not be recalled to Erasmus’ squad for the Autumn Nations Series. However, a return to South Africa could boost his chances and according to a report by Midi Olympique, the forward will leave France next year after requesting an early release from his contract with Montpellier which expires at the end of the 2025/26 season.

The report states that he has made the request for ‘personal reasons’ with the club’s leaders willing to accept considering the player’s service to the side over the years.

Janse van Rensburg has played seven times for Montpellier this season, starting all seven of those matches featuring twice in the second row and five times on the side of the scrum.

 

Montpellier are also willing to allow the forward to leave the club early with the likes of Lenni Nouchi, Nicolas Martins, Alexandre Bécognée, Billy Vunipola and Marco Tauleigne able to fill his void in the back-row.

The publication does not mention which South African team he could join next season but the Bulls are likely to be the front-runner with Janse van Rensburg being born and bred in Pretoria.

 

He attended Affies and represented the Bulls at youth level before representing the side in the Currie Cup and Super Rugby. The forward also signed for Montpellier when Jake White was in charge of the French club.

He is not the only Springbok at Montpellier who is set to return to South Africa with the Bulls in talks to secure Jan Serfontein’s services while Cobus Reinach has been linked with a move to the Stormers.