Pieter-Steph du Toit’s adaptability enables him to make an impact at lock, flank or off the bench.
Du Toit wants to get his hands on the ball and his team over the advantage line.
As the 25-year-old explains in the new issue of SA Rugby magazine, on sale this week, that is why he would prefer to play flank, rather than lock, but neither he nor his coaches are too bothered about the number on his back. While wearing the No 7 jersey allows him to carry the ball more than he would at No 5, Du Toit’s physical, explosive game stays the same.
‘Sometimes people tag players as a jack of all trades and a master of none,’ Rassie Erasmus tells SA Rugby magazine. ‘That is not the case with Pieter-Steph.’
Du Toit is also highly regarded as a leader, becoming the 60th Springbok captain for the one-off Test against Wales in Washington DC, and remained an important part of the leadership group when Siya Kolisi assumed the captaincy for the series against England. Du Toit wants to help the younger players in the squad and get the team to pull together after disappointing 2016 and 2017 seasons.
‘It’s not enough to say we will make a mark this year,’ says Du Toit. ‘We have to make changes through our performances and results.’
Also in the new issue:
– Faf de Klerk revived his Springbok career after an irrepressible debut season in the English Premiership
– John Plumtree column: Why Super Rugby should be played straight through, from start to finish
– There’s a lot more to Ben Lam than muscle and hustle on that left wing for the Hurricanes
– Adriaan Strauss has wound back the clock to play some of the best rugby of his career in 2018, and he’s loving every minute of it
– USA head coach Gary Gold on Major League Rugby and why a Super Rugby franchise could do the game in North America more harm than good
– Pedrie Wannenburg has set his sights on coaching as he plays the last season of his professional career for the Austin Elite in Major League Rugby
– A challenging first Pro14 campaign should benefit the Cheetahs next season
– There will be no second chances for the Blitzboks in San Francisco as they attempt to win the Sevens World Cup for the first time
– Schalk Brits was acclaimed as England’s finest import after completing a nine-year stint with Saracens
PLUS: Stefan Terblanche‘s Perfect XV | Inside the mind of Francois Louw | Jonathan Kaplan on his new book | Paarl Boys’ vs Paul Roos derby | Who knows Trevor Nyakane better, Rudy Paige or Oupa Mohoje?
