Reinach: My 'impossibly hard decision' to leave Saints

Departing Northampton scrum-half Cobus Reinach has claimed that “to say this was an impossibly hard decision for us is an understatement” after it was revealed he will be leaving Franklin’s Gardens at the end of this season. 

The recent World Cup winner arrived at the Saints from Super Rugby’s Sharks and soon became a fan favourite who was pivotal to the team.

However, ever since the won the World Cup with South Africa in November, there has been speculation that he may be joining Montpellier in the Top 14. 

While nothing has been confirmed yet, that move is now expected to go ahead after Reinach revealed on Tuesday he would be leaving the Saints. 

In an Instagram post following the announcement, the 29-year-old revealed the difficulty in this decision, saying: “Some of the best times I’ve had on the field have been while wearing a Saints jersey.” 

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This is unsurprising, as the scrum-half has been a sensation in lighting up English rugby with his blistering pace. 

Not only has he scored the most Gallagher Premiership tries since his move to England, but his form last season earned him a recall to the South Africa squad after a four-year exile which led to him being part of the RWC-winning team. 

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With only eight rounds of the Gallagher Premiership played so far and still another round of pool stage action in the Heineken Champions Cup, Reinach still has a lot of rugby to play with the Saints. 

That is why he also added: “But there is still some rugby to be played and some silverware to be won. I look forward to making every remaining second in the black green and gold count.” 

The exit of the South African World Cup winner from Northampton was always going to generate a reaction https://t.co/A7m63bIRr6

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 14, 2020

The Saints are second in the Premiership, only one point behind leaders Exeter Chiefs, and travel to Lyon this weekend in the Champions Cup knowing that a victory would put them in a very good position to qualify for the quarter-finals. 

It was only last Sunday that the South African once again showed his worth against Benetton by igniting a lacklustre Saints team from the bench, earning three assists in only 25 minutes of play. 

However, this is something Northampton are now used to, and Reinach is determined to have more success in his final months. 

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