Cobus Reinach proved that he is the undoubted king of fast hattricks when he nearly broke his own Rugby World Cup for the vinnigste three tries against Romania on Sunday.
Reinach, who father Jaco held the South African 400m track record for 16 years, set the World Cup record in 2019 when he scored three blitsige touchdowns against Canada - inside 20 minutes and missed out on beating that record by three minutes in the 76-0 Pool B mauling of Romania.
Reinach says of his achievement: “We came in with the goal to be dominant in all aspects and I think that’s what the forwards did, they give you good platforms to play off and I was lucky enough to score off it.”
The #Springboks have made a statement with a big win in Bordeaux. Thanks for the game @RugbyRomania and good luck for the rest of your campaign🙌#StrongerTogether #RWC2023 #RSAvROM pic.twitter.com/gRKms2kzK5
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 17, 2023
With world number one and log leaders Ireland lying in wait this week, Reinach says: “We don’t change how we prepare for games, if it’s Romania or Ireland or New Zealand, we have to go and look at what we did wrong and where we can improve. “We’ll hit the training ground running, focus on how we can get better and then put it on the pitch on game day.”