VIDEO: 'X-factor' Sacha will pull some strings
VIDEO: Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach will form a brand new halfback partnership with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu when they face Australia in Brisbane on Saturday.
The two have never played together before but according to the 34-year-old Reinach there were no concerns as the ‘young boy’ [Feinberg-Mngomeluzu] has a lot of X-factor.
Reinach’s last outing against the Wallabies overseas was in 2015 in Brisbane when he replaced Ruan Pienaar. The Boks lost 20-24 in that first match of the Rugby Championship.
Another piece of interesting information is that Reinach made his Springbok debut against Australia ten years ago, in Cape Town in 2014. On that day he was a second-half replacement for Francois Hougaard.
South Africa won 28–10 and the scrumhalf played a big role in the Boks’ bonus point try scored by Jean de Villiers in the final minute.
He was part of the Rugby Championship squad in 2015 and the wider World Cup squad but was ultimately left out of the traveling team in favour of Fourie du Preez, Rudy Paige, and Pienaar.
This was the first major example of a problem Reinach has had to deal with his entire career – South Africa’s tendency to produce good scrumhalves.
When he left South African shores he was an instant hit at Northampton playing in all but two games across two seasons in the Premiership and Champions Cup, scoring an electric 16 tries and earning a nomination for Premiership Player of the Season in 2018 and 2019.
He was recalled to the Springboks squad for the 2019 Rugby Championship and kept his place for the World Cup that same year.
He was left out of the World Cup final team last year despite having started in both the quarter- and semifinal.
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However, even with all this success, Reinach still wasn’t the first-choice scrumhalf for South Africa as he was competing for places with Faf de Klerk.
Reinach was asked about the lack of experience he has with the new incoming flyhalf [Feinberg-Mngomezul] in a Springbok briefing on Wednesday.
“I haven’t played with him as a No. 9 and ten,” he confirmed.
“The whole week he showed he’s got a rugby head on him. He is a young boy, but he is hugely talented and I am really excited for him to go out there.
“He’s got the backing of the 22 players and the rest of the squad here just to go out there and express himself and enjoy the moment.
“He is going to do well, there is a lot of X-factor in him.
“He’s going to pull a few strings and create a few opportunities,” Reinach commented.
He explained that a halfback pairing will always need to have a relationship and that they have trained hard to get that right.
“Since the squad came together you start building relationships.
“You learn to understand how a guy’s head works. It won’t be a problem.
“We train together a lot, we know each other and we eat together every evening,” the scrumhalf said.
