Cape Town - The battle between locks Pieter-Steph du Toit and Brodie Retallick is going to be one of the standout clashes in Saturday’s Super Rugby quarter-final between the Stormers and the Chiefs.
Both players are vital cogs in their respective teams. We take a closer look at what makes these two giants so special.
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Lineout work
Du Toit and his lock partner Eben Etzebeth have made some of the best hookers in the competition look pretty ordinary in this year’s Super Rugby competition.
While Etzebeth launches himself into the air at the front of the lineout, a little more thought goes into Du Toit’s contesting, because he has got to read the middle and the back jumpers. He has made some crucial steals for the Stormers as well. He has also done exceptionally well on the Stormers’ own ball and has secured quality possession for his side.
Work-rate
Du Toit has been running around the field like man on a mission. After all his injuries, he seems to be making up for lost time by leaving everything out there on the field when he gets a chance to play. Du Toit is in the top 15 in terms of carrying and tackles stats, and he certainly hits lot of rucks.
But, because he has also played in the back row, his covering has been a feature of his play. He always seems to be there to help out his teammates when they are on attack or defence.
Loose play
Du Toit’s running game has surprised most people. For a guy who likes to get his hands dirty on the family farm, he plays with lot of intelligence.
He isn’t one of those lock forwards who immediately goes to ground when he takes contact. He always tries to look for support and keep the ball alive.
He also runs some great angles close to rucks, while he scored against the Waratahs by jumping straight over a tackle situation.
Brodie Retallick
Lineout work
The 2014 World Rugby Player of the Year is one of the most versatile locks in the world.
He is equally effective when jumping at the front of the lineout or in the middle. What makes him such an effective target is that he jumps with a lot of force and power, which gives him a bit of extra momentum.
Contesting is not really his biggest strength, but he also reads the opposition lineout really well, and he can be a disruptive force. He is a great target to maul from, because he doesn’t easily get sacked.
Work-rate
This is probably what makes him such a special player and probably the best lock in the world at the moment. In 766 minutes of play he has only missed nine tackles this year. For a tight forward, he has also made six turnovers this season, which is a phenomenal stat. Retallick also hits a lot of rucks, and the Chiefs thrive on the clean ball provided by the big guy’s hard work.
He is a real grafter in the engine room and knows his role well. He plays with a lot of energy and focus.
Loose play
Like most New Zealand rugby players, Retallick has great awareness on the field and actually knows when to hit a ruck, when there is a chance to pass it off the base or run in support.
He possesses a lot of pace for a big man, and when he goes on the charge he is really hard to stop.
And, like Du Toit, he doesn’t just die with the ball, because he is always looking to offload the ball to a player in a better position than himself. His support play is also really good and he scores a lot of tries because of that.
Cape Argus