REACHING THE NEXT LEVEL
Pieter-Steph du Toit was hailed “a freak of nature” by his coaches and teammates when he arrived on the test scene in 2013.
Over the next four seasons, a concerted effort was made to harness Du Toit’s physical talents at franchise level and at the Springboks.
By the end of 2017, most were in agreement that South African rugby had found its answer to All Blacks star Brodie Retallick, a no-nonsense forward with the handling skills and spatial awareness of an inside back.
Like Retallick, Du Toit’s contribution was not limited by the number on his back.
One man wasn’t overly impressed by what he saw in the early stages of 2018, though.
Rassie Erasmus recognised that this extraordinary player – who was already outperforming his teammates and some of his direct opponents in several departments – had even more to give.
Erasmus gave Du Toit a place in the leadership group and the Boks captaincy for the one-off test against Wales.
That push proved a masterstroke as, over the course of 2018, Du Toit took his game to a new level and challenged the perception that South African forwards are one-dimensional.
The Boks beat the All Blacks 36-34 in Wellington to end a nine-year drought on New Zealand soil.
They came close
