{"id":341092,"date":"2025-12-29T14:37:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T14:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/341092\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T14:37:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T14:37:08","slug":"reinach-relishing-first-north-south-derby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/341092\/","title":{"rendered":"Reinach relishing first north-south derby"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cobus Reinach expects the Stormers\u2019 Vodacom URC showdown against the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday to be a special occasion.<\/p>\n<p>The 35-year-old scrumhalf, who recently returned to South Africa after club stints in England and France, admitted the fixture carries a unique weight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t played in South African derbies for a long time, and I\u2019ve never played in this one,\u201d said Reinach, who represented the Sharks from 2011 to 2017.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust hearing the boys talk about it, you realise how big it is. It\u2019s going to be physical, it\u2019s going to be a full house, and it\u2019s a proper contest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stormers defence coach Norman Laker \u2013 sitting alongside Reinach \u2013 labelled the Bulls clash \u201cthe biggest game of the season outside of the playoffs\u201d, adding that a sold-out stadium is expected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-title entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sarugbymag.co.za\/bulls-bok-assistance-surprises-stormers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">MORE: Bulls\u2019 Bok assistance surprises Stormers<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Asked to compare the traditional north-south derby to those he had experienced abroad, Reinach said the closest fixture was the East Midlands derby between the Northampton Saints, where he spent three seasons, and the Leicester Tigers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was massive,\u201d he said. \u201cIn France there are rivalries too, but this feels different. The north-south derby is something special in South African rugby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Lions [two weeks ago] was the first derby I had coming back and it\u2019s tough,\u201d he said. \u201cYou forget how tough it is to play against your own people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sarugbymag.co.za\/state-of-the-urc-gripping-sa-derbies-kick-off-new-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">STATE OF THE URC: Gripping SA derbies kick off new year<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Having joined the Stormers after eight years abroad, Reinach said he has settled quickly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m really happy to be here. The culture is something I\u2019ve missed dearly, and the way the Stormers play suits me \u2013 fast, attacking rugby with quick ball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite his age, Reinach insists he is not slowing down and still has clear goals in his career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve got to look after yourself. Recovery, conditioning and being honest with your body \u2013 rugby doesn\u2019t stop,\u201d he said. \u201cI still have goals. I want to contribute here, and I\u2019d be lying if I said I\u2019m not thinking about [the] 2027 [World Cup].\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sarugbymag.co.za\/de-bruin-bulls-the-challenge-i-want\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">DE BRUIN: Bulls the challenge I want<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead to Saturday\u2019s clash, Reinach was quick to dismiss talk of the struggling Bulls being easy pickings for the unbeaten Stormers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you look at the individuals and the whole team, I don\u2019t think they\u2019re a weakened side or a weak side. I think they were a bit unlucky with a few games and one win and the whole thing turns around and the snowball starts going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He expects the Bulls, with their backs to the wall, to come out swinging.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will have to be on top of our gaming in every department.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hmshop.co.za\/product\/sa-rugby\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-252557 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SARJan2026c-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"290\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Photo: Grant Pitcher\/Gallo Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cobus Reinach expects the Stormers\u2019 Vodacom URC showdown against the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341093,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-341092","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341092\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}