There was concern before last year’s World Cup that the Springboks lacked depth at lock, especially as Victor Matfield was no longer at the peak of his powers.
The No 5 position was especially problematic because of an injury to Pieter-Steph du Toit, who was earmarked as the heir to Matfield’s throne. Du Toit eventually went to the World Cup but after starting at blindside flank against Japan, he never shook off the rust from a lengthy injury layoff.
In recent Super Rugby campaigns, several young second-rowers like the Lions’ Franco Mostert and the Stormers’ Ruan Botha have performed well and have shown potential to represent their country.
But none of them looked like they were in the same class as Du Toit.
Fast forward to 2016 and the Bok No 5 stocks look a lot better. Last year’s SA Rugby Player of the Year, Lood de Jager has shown what he can do; Mostert is continuing to rise up the ranks; and rookies JD Schickerling and RG Snyman are also making their mark.
But Du Toit has come out this season – injury-free – and has shown that he is still the best in South Africa at what he does, and it seems as if the 23-year-old is enjoying a new lease on life since moving down to the Cape, his home province, after a joining the Sharks in Durban as a junior.
The former Hoërskool Swartland star has only missed one match for the Stormers this season – as part of a Saru resting plan for senior national players – and has been in sparkling form to fulfill a key role in Robbie Fleck’s young side’s victories this year.
Du Toit is different to Matfield. While the Bok and Bulls legend is a great lineout tactician and the best in the business when receiving kickoffs, Du Toit’s all-round game makes him a standout player.
“Pieter-Steph has always been a very good player. But this year, he is injury-free and I think he is very happy here in the Cape. It’s coming out in the way he is playing the game. He is playing very good rugby at the moment,” former Bok and Western Province lock Hennie Bekker, who played 108 games in the blue-and-white hoops, said yesterday.
“He is a great all-rounder. His lineout work is great, his play around the park is good, his defence is good. He is not a guy who is good at just one aspect of the game, he does everything really well and makes a massive contribution.”
Former WP and Saru legend Faiek Hendricks, who played lock and prop, says Du Toit’s intelligence on the rugby field also complements his work-rate.
“He is a quiet guy, but he does his job in the lineouts and he does his job in the scrums. That is what you want from a tight forward, but he also brings that extra dimension of a flank,” Hendricks, fondly known as “Blatjang”, said.
“You can see the second try he scored against the Waratahs (this past Saturday), he is also a guy who thinks on his feet. He also doesn’t play in a box; when the situation comes you have to take the opportunity.”
Both Bekker and Hendricks believe that Du Toit and his Stormers teammate Eben Etzebeth should be the starting locks for South Africa in the next month’s three-Test series against Ireland.
The injured Etzebeth, who could make a return to the Cape franchise for next weekend’s match against the Sunwolves, has also been in superb form, and his lineout contesting especially has added another dimension to his game.
“If I was a selector, they would definitely be my lock pairing. Playing in the second row is all about the partnership. The one complements the other, and I think Pieter-Steph and Eben complement each very well,” said Bekker, whose son Andries also represented the Stormers, WP and the Boks.
“Eben is too good of a player to just be an enforcer, he can also do other things too.
“He is very athletic, and he is very good off his feet. I just wonder why nobody has used him in this role (of contesting) before this season.”
Hendricks says the Stormers and WP struck gold when they lured Du Toit back to the Mother City.
“That was the best business the Stormers could have done, to get Pieter-Steph partnering up with Eben Etzebeth,” Hendricks added.
“Don’t write Lood de Jager off, but these two are developing into a great combination at the moment.
“If they can stay together, the Stormers and the Springboks’ tight five will always be good.” - Cape Times