SON OF SPRINGBOK:
Cobus Reinach follows in father's footsteps
SHARKS scrumhalf Cobus Reinach could become the 11th son of a Springbok to earn a test cap after being included in the 30-man squad for the 2014 Rugby Championship.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer named the 24-year-old in place of the injured Fourie du Preez for matches against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.
Reinach’s selection is not a surprise as he was the starting scrumhalf at the Sharks throughout a Super Rugby campaign that resulted in them reaching the semifinals.
His late father, Jaco, played for Free State in the 1980s and earned four test caps as a flying wing against the 1986 New Zealand Cavaliers.
That series holds test status in South Africa but not in New Zealand, even though 11 members of the touring party were part of the All Blacks team that won the World Cup in 1987.
Cobus Reinach has become one of the most dangerous halfbacks in Super Rugby
In a twist of fate, Reinach will be vying for the halfback berth against Ruan Pienaar, son of former Bok fullback Gysie, who was Jaco’s Free State teammate 30 years ago.
Jaco Reinach was also a superb athlete and held the SA 400m record for 16 years with a time of 45.01sec, which he set in Bloemfontein in 1983. It was only broken in 1999.
He died in a car accident between Kroonstad and Ventersburg in January 1997, when Cobus was seven.
Cobus inherited his father’s athleticism and speed and has become one of the most dangerous halfbacks in Super Rugby, due to his ability to snipe through tiny gaps around the fringes of rucks and convert half chances into points.
It’s telling that on Super Rugby’s list of defenders beat-
IT’S IN THE BLOOD: Cobus Reinach has inherited his father’s speed en, he ranked 13th, the highest by a halfback in the category, which serves to underline where his strength lies.
He possesses all the other attributes that a scrumhalf needs — speed to the breakdown, a good pass off both hands, the courage to mix it with big forwards, the ability to defend his channel, and also cover-defend, and a terrier-like attitude. The raw materials are all there.
But Reinach has a lot of improvements to make as well. His tactical decision-making and kicking require work.
Meyer is a strong believer in a halfback who can kick accu- rately from the base of rucks, and also use his boot to take pressure off the flyhalf, aspects that Reinach is still improving.
With two seasons of Super Rugby in the bank, Reinach has gained experience against some of the world’s best players. He now has the chance to take another step up.