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Bok No 9 Reinach on the mend

Durban - Sharks and Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach is on the comeback trail after an unfortunate hand injury which ended his Super Rugby campaign prematurely.

He missed the last third of the tournament when he was injured against the Highlanders and returned home from tour, losing out on three matches on tour and the last two at home.

According to Sharks website editor Michael Marnewick, Reinach has his sights set on playing rugby very soon and can’t wait to get back onto the field.

“I broke my hand - again,” he sighs philosophically. “It happened when I made a tackle, but I have no idea how it actually happened, and a similar incident to last year when I broke my other hand. So now I have plates and screws in both hands; the good thing now with the scarring is that I look like the superhero character Wolverine. Fortunately, the airport security scanner doesn’t pick up the metal in my hands! I thought it would, that would have been cool.”

The good news is that all is on track and he’s able to use his hand again and start his rugby and fitness training after the injury.

“It’s been six weeks after the op and it’s feeling good,” said Reinach. “I can use my hand, I’ve started passing the ball again and so it’s a case of picking up the basics from where I left off and getting better.  I’m also working hard on my fitness - we have a fitness test on 29 June - and I need to be fit then.

“I just want to play; it’s frustrating watching your team-mates play when you can’t take part - only watch - so although a lot of the players are on a break, I just want to get back to the playing field.”

If he’s ready to play in the Currie Cup, Reinach knows that the last three Super Rugby games the Sharks played will stand them in good stead, especially as far as confidence and morale go.

“The season didn’t go as planned and we didn’t have the best year, but we did end it off on a high and hopefully we can take that momentum through into the Currie Cup.”

He acknowledged that on the flip side of all the injuries was the opportunities given to many of the young players who otherwise might not have played as much rugby as they did. Although the Sharks will lose a number of players to the Springbok Rugby World Cup cause, this means a Currie Cup squad that isn’t going to be too short on experience.

“We have a good-looking squad for the Currie Cup, and with the Boks away and not playing any part in the tournament, the young guys will be given the chance to shine and pull it through. They got a lot of experience playing Super Rugby which they might not have received if we didn’t have all the injuries.

“The Sharks as an outfit will always be competitive and it’s understandable that the fans weren’t happy, we didn’t have a great Super Rugby campaign, but we are striving on a daily basis to get it right and play the kind of rugby they want to see.”

What rugby is that?

“We are focussing  a lot on attack, but we are also making sure we play in the right areas of the field,” Reinach explained. “Finding a balance between those two is our goal.”

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