With his health issues behind him, veteran Springbok Cobus Reinach can’t wait to test his pace and lethal boot against Wales at Kings Park on Saturday.
Reinach came flying out of the blocks last season, scoring five tries in 12 appearances in the green and gold, before groin surgery and a knee injury pumped the brakes on an impressive start to his Stormers career.
The 36-year-old returns to the Bok starting XV this week, after featuring off the bench against England two weeks ago, and is primed to make an impact alongside rookie flyhalf Vusi Moyo in the third round of the Nations Championship.
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“I had to have groin surgery, that was coming on for a year or two, and then I hurt my knee against Glasgow, which was unfortunate,” Reinach said.
“You try to be ready and available to get picked and if you get the opportunity, you want to do a job. So all of that is behind me.”
An experienced and nippy scrumhalf who made his Bok debut in 2014, Reinach earned his 50th Test cap at the end of 2025.
He has established himself as a fan favourite due to his try-scoring exploits, which includes the fastest recorded hat-trick at a World Cup in 2019.
On whether Father Time is catching up to him, the two-time World Cup winner added: “After this year, it’s [speedwork] something I need to work on now, not because of my age but because of my groin op.
“It takes a while for everything to settle and feel comfortable before putting my foot into the floor.”
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Looking ahead to Saturday’s clash, Reinach reckons the Boks will return to their aerial game after taking a more expansive approach in last week’s 42-28 win over Scotland.
“We have a big kicking game and try to attack from there,” he said. “Against Scotland, we could’ve kicked more but they’re a team that when they get the ball, they hold it for a long time so you don’t always get the opportunity to kick.
“We adapted and found a way.”
The Boks humiliated Wales 73-0 in Cardiff last November, but Reinach warns thoughts of a repeat rout is dangerous.
“We don’t talk about what we’ve done before, we focus on what we need to do now to get better.
“Things can change in a blink of an eye if we don’t pitch up this weekend. We know we have to be 100% in what we want to put out on the field.”
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Photo: Johan Orton/Gallo Images
The post Evergreen Reinach ready to go full throttle appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
With his health issues behind him, veteran Springbok Cobus Reinach can’t wait to test his pace and lethal boot against Wales at Kings Park on Saturday.
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