{"id":294557,"date":"2023-10-20T12:24:38","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T12:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/?p=294557"},"modified":"2023-10-20T12:24:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T12:24:38","slug":"springboks-respond-to-sickening-death-threats-against-cobus-reinach-at-rugby-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports-life-news.com\/rugby-union\/springboks-respond-to-sickening-death-threats-against-cobus-reinach-at-rugby-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Springboks respond to sickening death threats against Cobus Reinach at Rugby World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
South Africa have responded to the sickening death threats received by scrum half Cobus Reinach that have blighted the build-up to their Rugby World Cup semi-final against England.<\/p>\n
The Springboks edged past France 29-28 in one of the greatest World Cup matches of all time at last weekend\u2019s quarter-final stage and Reinach, who plays his club rugby in France for Montpellier, received a death threat on social media in the aftermath of that victory.<\/p>\n
The threat read: \u201cDirty son of a b**** I hope that when you return to Montpellier you get murdered by French people on the ground. Gang of thieves, easy to win a title when you\u2019re cheating.\u201d<\/p>\n
The message was followed up by a picture of Reinach\u2019s young son with the caption: \u201cGo and die.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus responded to the threat on Twitter\/X by posting: \u201cUnfortunately these threats was made to Cobus Reinach!! Its not nice and upsets a mom and dad to see things like that said about their boy! But we are not gonna whine, we will just move on!!!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
In his eve-of-match press conference just outside Paris on Friday, Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick further addressed the threats and condemned the person who sent them, revealing the matter was now with the French authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not stressed about it,\u201d said Stick. \u201cBut once again we are well aware of the situation with Cobus and his family. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell you now, we don\u2019t have a place for hooligans in our game. The players do their job to represent country and we are here to represent South Africa. If someone has got a problem with that, the French authorities will have to deal with it. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll make sure we protect each other as a team, our players, management, everyone involved. Once again, we don\u2019t have any place for that in our game. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou win some, lose some \u2013 that\u2019s part of the game. Whoever sent the message to the players, I\u2019m very disappointed in that person. We\u2019ll keep doing everything in our powers to make the people proud at home. It\u2019s with the French authorities now.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
South Africa coach Mzwandile Stick responded to the death threats against Reinach <\/p>\n
Reinach retains his place as the Springboks\u2019s starting scrum half for Saturday evening\u2019s semi-final against England, where the reigning champions are heavy favourites to advance to the final, and Stick insisted the No 9 is prepared for the match.<\/p>\n
\u201cCobus is proper,\u201d added Stick. \u201cHe\u2019s in a good space and got his family around him. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe must also give credit to the French security around our hotels \u2013 it\u2019s another level, so at the moment I don\u2019t think it is something to worry about because we are well protected.\u201d<\/p>\n