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Pieter-Steph's stock continues to rise with dual role

JUNE SPOTLIGHT: Pieter-Steph du Toit’s versatility has made him an integral part of the Springboks’ forward pack.

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The 25-year-old is normally a lock, but he is equally at home at flank where Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus started him in the second Test against England with great success. Du Toit also keeps his spot in the back row for the third Test.

Du Toit has also been used in No.7 jersey by the Stormers in a number of Super Rugby games this year.

“I’m playing both [lock and flank] at the moment and I am enjoying it quite a lot especially with the coaches we are playing under and they allow me to do what I want to do on the field,” said Du Toit.

Du Toit believes there is not much difference between his roles as a lock and a flank.

“It is quite nice to get a bit more exposure on the flank. I always dreamt about playing flank for the Boks when I was younger and luckily I got the opportunity.

“With our systems, No.4, No.5 and No.7 are working a lot together so it is not much of a difference. If you get enough time for preparation in the week it is quite easy to do the turnaround.”

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Du Toit captained a Bok side featuring seven debutants in the starting XV against Wales at the beginning of June in Washington D.C. The Boks lost that match 20-22, but it was all part of a greater plan leading to their series victory over England.

“For the Welsh Test we only had about two days preparation then we had to fly to the USA. It was quite tough with the travelling over there and then coming back as well with the jetlag.

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“The coaches had a great plan for that and we tried to turn things around from the first game to now and as you can see it actually worked for us,” he added.

The Boks won the first Test against England at Ellis Park 42-39, before wrapping up the series with a 23-12 win in the second Test in Bloemfontein.

The third and final Test takes place at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town this Saturday.

By Warren Fortune
@FortuneWarren
@rugby365com

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