Cobus Reinach reveals what it was really like in the ‘toughest week of his life’

Viewers of the brilliant Chasing the Sun 2 got a small hint of how Cobus Reinach felt when he was told that he'll miss out on the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, despite having started in both the quarter and semi final.

In some of the best form of his life, he was effectively dropped due to the Springboks’ bold 7-1 tactic of having just one back on the bench, opting for the favoured number nine Faf de Klerk to start.

It was a devastating blow for Montpellier’s Reinach, who had been going through a horrible time with threats to himself and his family after dramatically knocking host nation France out in the quarter final round.

“After the game we saw a lot of people in the stands and the French people were fine. They were upset, but fine. And then you get to your phone later that night and you just get a message that says ‘When you go back to Montpellier, the gangs on the ground will kill you’,” he recounted, speaking to Johnnie Beattie on Fresh Starts on RugbyPass TV.

“That’s okay, that’s fine.. if people say it to me. It’s not [okay], but I can handle it. But then, you go and take my boy’s photo and put it up and say ‘he must die too’. For me, that’s out of line. You can say whatever you want to me, but leave my family. They’ve done nothing.

“There is a line - and I think a lot of referees are talking about it now too - there is a line where, yeah you can have your opinion but sometimes it goes a little bit too far, when you bring children and family into it. It should stay out of the game I think.”

The 32-cap Springbok, who moved to France from Northampton in 2020, went on to say that he didn’t feel it was safe to let his family go back to Montpellier without him.

“I didn’t want them to be scared alone. You never know who’s out there. So they didn’t go home, I kept them with me.”

With his family by his side, Reinach then received another heavy blow in the week leading up to the final, as after being first choice for the first two knockouts, he was then left out of the match-day squad completely.

“Personally, it was probably the toughest week of my life. Complete buy-in doesn’t mean that you can’t feel bad.

“They’ll announce the team this morning, and then you have three training sessions to be the best opposition to help the guys starting to be ready for the game.

“I was angry. I didn’t understand it. But then you get to the field and you have to do the job. It’s not about me.”

Watch the full chat with Cobus Reinach in the latest episode of Fresh Starts on RugbyPass TV now.