England coach Steve Borthwick has included an uncapped South African in his 42-man training group ahead of their Nations Championship tour in July.
Bristol Bears centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg was called up on Monday despite only becoming eligible for England on 8 July.
The 29-year-old former Junior Bok therefore won’t face the Springboks on 4 July at Ellis Park, but could make his debut against Fiji the following weekend. He may also feature in a non-cap fixture against a France XV in Vannes on 19 June.
Janse van Rensburg qualifies for England through residency after spending five years in England since joining London Irish.
However, England required special dispensation from World Rugby to consider Janse van Rensburg for selection. The centre made a 21-minute appearance off the bench for SA U20 in 2016, which initially tied him to the Springboks under previous eligibility regulations.
The RFU successfully argued that such a short appearance should not prevent him from qualifying for England on residency grounds.
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Janse van Rensburg, selected ahead of Bath centres Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, is viewed as a potential solution to one of England’s most problematic positions.
There were also call-ups for Northampton scrumhalf Archie McParland, Saracens No 9 Charlie Bracken and Leicester wing Adam Radwan, while uncapped Bath forwards Vilikesa Sela and Kepu Tuipulotu were included in the wider squad.
England squad
Forwards: Jamie Blamire, Ollie Chessum, Arthur Clark, Alex Coles, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Alex Dombrandt, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Emmanuel Iyogun, George Martin, Beno Obano, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Vilikesa Sela, Kepu Tuipulotu.
Backs: Seb Atkinson, Charlie Bracken, Noah Caluori, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, George Ford, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Archie McParland, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Adam Radwan, Tom Roebuck, Henry Slade, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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