PARIS (AP) — South Africa scrumhalf Cobus Reinach is "in a good space” after receiving a death threat on social media during the Rugby World Cup, assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said on Friday.
The threat — highlighted by Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus on X, formerly known as Twitter — came after the team’s win in the quarterfinals against host nation France, where Reinach plays his club rugby with Montpellier. It was followed by a picture of Reinach’s son, who was also threatened.
The Boks said on Friday the matter was with French authorities.
“Obviously we are aware of the situation with Cobus and his family,” Stick said. “The players do their job to make sure they represent their country. All the players were on the field 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.
“From our side, we will make sure we protect each other as a team, our players, managers, everyone involved. Once again, we don’t have a place for that in our game.”
Stick said Reinach and the team felt safe.
“I’ve seen him every day. He’s in a good space. He’s got his family around him,” Stick said.
“I must also give credit to the French (organizers), the security around our hotels. With all the teams in the World Cup, the security was just another level. So I don’t think at the moment there is something to worry about because we know for sure we are well-protected in our camps.”
Reinach will start for South Africa against England in the semifinals on Saturday.
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AP Rugby World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
