Saints so proud as Reinach breaks World Cup record

That is because everyone of a Saints persuasion saw what Cobus Reinach had done in a South Africa shirt earlier that morning.

The Saints players and coaches were only able to watch the highlights as they had been training during South Africa's World Cup win against Canada.

But when they were able to catch a glimpse of the exceptional Reinach, it was smiles all round.

That is because the talented 29-year-old had once again put himself in the spotlight, scoring three tries in his first start during this World Cup.

Not only that, but Reinach broke a record in the process, clocking the fastest hat-trick in tournament history.

He beat Australia player Chris Latham's 25-minute treble against Namibia in 2003 by a full five minutes.

Reinach started off with a sensational score against Canada, picking the ball up inside his own half before speeding forward, chipping the defender and then gathering the ball and turning on the turbos to dive over the line.

For the second score, he showed great awareness and supported extremely well before picking up and spotting a gap to dart over.

And then he completed his hat-trick, putting the finishing touches to a flowing South Africa move, gathering the ball brilliantly with one hand before keeping hold of it and scoring once again.

It was a stunning exhibition of the ability that made Reinach Saints' players' and supporters' player of the year last season.

And forwards coach Phil Dowson said: "He's done unbelievably well.

"He's a very talented man, as we know, and you can't defend speed.

"He's been excellent for us, on and off the pitch.

"He's a good guy and he's been excellent with the youngsters.

"On the pitch, you've seen how many tries he scored last year and how effective he is.

"He's a competitor as well and he's got a really good mindset in terms of what he wants out of the game.

"I've really enjoyed working with Cobus and I'm really glad he's had an opportunity to show what he's capable of at the World Cup."