RUGBY CHAMPS: Player of the tournament - Pieter-Steph du Toit

It’s tough to think that - after that devastating tackling performance in the Rugby World Cup final - there would be anything more to say about Springbok colossus Pieter-Steph du Toit.

After terrorising Jordie Barrett in the Paris showpiece, many probably thought that was the pinnacle for a player who has already won two World Cups, a British and Irish Lions Series and the World Player of the Year award.

But just when we thought he couldn’t get better, over this Castle Lager Rugby Championship he proved us all wrong - again.

The Malmesbury Missile simply doesn’t have an off-switch on his engine. And as much as Eben Etzebeth represents the passion in Springbok rugby right now, the heartbeat is the softly spoken farmer who continues to astonish us all.

There is no other way to describe him than foot on the pedal, always going forward and never, ever stopping. And the plaudits have come, not only after that man-of-the-match performance or his tackle-fest in the World Cup final, but also from coaches far and wide who have encountered the man simply known as PSDT.

Three former coaches echoed this, this past weekend in Rapport newspaper, commenting on how good the flanker is and how any team would go to war with him.

“Nothing tires Pieter-Steph. What he gives you in the first minute, he also gives you in the 85th minute,” World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber said of him.

“It’s extremely rare that you find a player with that characteristic. There is no better seven flanker than him for the Boks.”

NO WEAKNESSES

Heyneke Meyer, who selected Du Toit despite some injury concerns at the time, and gave him his test debut, was emphatic: “Pieter-Steph has no weaknesses in his setup. He is excellent with kicks, a good ball-carrier, and strong defensively,” he said.

“For me, he is the best seven flanker in the world.”

His Junior Bok coach Dawie Theron reckoned: “I really only have one word for him: phenomenal. He will one day be remembered as one of South Africa’s great legends.”

Even current Wallaby coach Joe Schmidt called him a “freakish talent that doesn’t rest”.

His scrum coach, Daan Human, last week before the Nelspruit game, was just as impressed with Du Toit and even joked about making him a prop. For anyone knowing Human’s take on life, that will go down as the ultimate compliment.

“The lekker thing about Pieter-Steph du Toit is that he played four lock, five lock, and seven,” Human said.

“I’m not quite sure if he’s there yet to play prop but we’ll work on that. He adds a lot of value with his versatility and I don’t think he cares what number jersey he puts on even if it means he is on the bench, he just wants to play.

“I’m not sure if he still knows that he is Pieter-Steph du Toit or Steph-Pieter du Toit but he did very well for us in the first game and hopefully he can be part of this week’s game.

“Hopefully, his attitude can overflow to the rest of the players. It's inspiring to watch a guy playing like that. It's really nice. He is a learner who always wants to get better and even this morning he said: ‘There are certain areas where I can get better’, so that’s good to know.”

SENSATIONAL NELSPRUIT PERFORMANCE

As Du Toit closes in on 100 caps (he is on 84 now), and few would argue there is someone more deserving, his performance in Nelspruit was sensational - on par with some of the best he has had in a Springbok jersey.

He gave a glimpse of how he approaches a game, with some questions that may be difficult to fathom for such a high-performing player.

“The main thing that I do after a game is look myself in the mirror and ask myself if I have emptied the tank,” Du Toit said.

“If I made mistakes, in our team it doesn’t matter as long as I give 100 per cent.

“If you sit in the changing room and think: ‘I could’ve done this, I could’ve done that, I could’ve run a bit harder or tackled a bit harder’, then you know it’s not what you want at the end of the day.”

Du Toit spoke more about his role in the squad and the will to win after already claiming two World Cup titles.

“Naturally you want to do well constantly. We’ve lost two games this year but we have the opportunity to keep growing and bringing in new players and unearthing new talent.

“An injury happens so quickly and then you are not here anymore. It remains a team sport and if the team is not doing well, the individuals will not be doing well either.

“For me, the award is a bonus on a day when our goal was to win the Rugby Championship,” he said.

LOVING THE FRINGES

His newfound role on the fringes is something he is relishing, especially with how it brings him more into the action and Du Toit admitted enjoying the freedom of being in more space. But the goal remains the same to ensure the Boks keep winning.

“We would like to finish the season on a high. We have the opportunity to continue growing with the squad’s core and riding the winning momentum. We will do everything in our power to ride the wave as long as possible.”

Consistency is his middle name. Starting off the Rugby Championship, Du Toit was massive in the big win in Brisbane over the Wallabies, making 14 carries - second only to Rob Valentini - as well as 13 tackles - the highest Springbok count on a night when they dominated. He also scored a try as the Boks romped to their biggest victory in the Queensland capital.

A week later in Perth he again topped the carry count with 13, added two line breaks to his tally, made 10 tackles and one dominant tackle to give the Boks the momentum they needed to win handsomely despite making a multitude of changes.

By the time the Boks hit Joburg for their showdown with the All Blacks, Du Toit answered a team SOS because of injuries and moved to lock, playing on the flank during the game and allowing his coach to joke that he “played everywhere” that night.

AMAZING STATS

Despite being more a part of the tight five, his performance didn’t waver as he again topped the Bok carry count with 11, made the most Bok tackles on the night (11), with the Bok lineout being solid with a 92 per cent success rate.

In Cape Town, where the Boks completed the double over the All Blacks, he wasn’t the top ball-carrying Bok, but nevertheless completed nine carries. While Ruan Nortje topped the Bok tackle logs with 16, Du Toit was close behind with 12 on the night to complete another rock-solid performance.

While he was rested for the game in Santiago del Estero, the Bok colossus was back at his best in Nelspruit, scoring two tries and making 10 carries in an exceptional performance. He was the joint top tackler in the side along with Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortje with 10 tackles on the night.

And while numbers may not tell the entire story, it is clear that his consistency, his value to the team, the engine that never stops and the legendary tale of one of the greatest Boks of the modern era all contribute to an easy award to give.

That, and for so many more reasons, is why Pieter-Steph du Toit is our Player of the Tournament.