Benhard Janse van Rensburg will play no part in any of the autumn matches

Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been stood down from all rugby duties indefinitely after suffering two significant concussions in his last three games.

The Bristol centre has been advised to take a number of weeks away from contact rugby following a specialist assessment, with England head coach Steve Borthwick confirming the 29-year-old will play no part in the autumn campaign.

Van Rensburg suffered his latest concussion when he was knocked unconscious attempting to tackle England team-mate Henry Pollock during Bristol's defeat to Northampton on October 3. The incident sparked huge concern among players on the pitch, who yelled at the referee to halt proceedings.

The South African-born centre had made his England Test debut against Fiji in July, but his hopes of adding to his two caps have been put on hold as he begins his recovery.

Borthwick said: “Benhard has seen a specialist and been advised to take a number of weeks of non-contact work before his reintroduction to rugby over the coming weeks.”

The indefinite stand-down means Van Rensburg will miss England's upcoming Nations Championship fixtures against Australia, Japan and New Zealand, as well as finals weekend in London at the end of November.

His next opportunity to feature for England could come during the Six Nations, although that will depend on his recovery and subsequent return to action.

Meanwhile, England are waiting on the fitness of fly-half Fin Smith ahead of their autumn opener against Australia at Allianz Stadium on November 8.

Smith sustained a calf strain while playing for Northampton against Leicester on Saturday and has been given until Wednesday to prove his fitness.

“Fin has made good progress over the last couple of days and we're hopeful of his availability against Australia, but that remains unclear at this stage,” Borthwick said.

George Ford or Marcus Smith would be in contention to start at fly-half if the Northampton playmaker is ruled out.

Flanker Guy Pepper will also miss England's autumn fixtures after suffering an ankle injury playing for Bath against Gloucester on Friday.

There is more encouraging news over Seb Atkinson and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, however, with the pair on course to return for Gloucester and Exeter respectively this weekend.