AUDIO: How Van Graan made Du Toit a better Bok
LISTEN as 2019 World Cup winner Thomas du Toit explains how his time at Bath improved his versatility to play on both sides of the scrum.
Du Toit is no stranger to the dual role. His ability to play loosehead and tighthead prop saw him getting called up to the Springbok squad during the 2019 World Cup when fellow dual scrummager Trevor Nyakane got injured in the opening match against New Zealand.
Although Du Toit didn’t feature in the Final, his contributions were key in the build-up to the Boks’ third world title, serving as a like-for-like replacement for Nyakane.
Du Toit had a stellar 2024/2025 season with Premiership outfit Bath under the guidance of former Bok assistant coach Johann van Graan, winning the Premiership Rugby Cup, the English Premiership and the EPCR Challenge Cup.
He was also nominated for the Premiership Player of the Season award, which Gloucester’s Tomos Williams won.
Now back in green and gold, Du Toit hailed Bath head coach Van Graan, who aided his improvement in his versatility skills at the scrum.
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“I’m very grateful for the fact that back at Bath, Johann [van Graan] gave me ample opportunities this season to play on both sides of the scrum.
“I feel very comfortable with it [playing loosehead and tighthead]. It’s a position I’m not uncomfortable with and it doesn’t faze me.
“In the week’s preparation, it’s like riding a bike. You get back to what that natural feeling is.
“I don’t mind it. I feel like it’s another arsenal to my game I can take out whenever the coaches or team needs it, and I’m grateful that I can play that role.”
Du Toit says his time at Bath wasn’t always smooth sailing, but ultimately made him a better player.
He also praised Bok teammate Wilco Louw, who had a stellar United Rugby Championship campaign with the Bulls.
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“I’d say people grow in difficult circumstances. When you’re taken out of your comfort zone, it’s either sink or swim.
“When I went to Bath, I feel that it put me out of my comfort zone, but in a positive way.
“There was this realisation that I needed to lift my game to compete with the best.
“The Premiership is a good, tough competition, so I felt that I needed to lift my game, and then it comes back to the coaching staff that see certain things in you that they think they can develop and if you, as a player, are willing to do that.
“Regarding Wilco [Louw], I feel that he’s playing his best rugby that I’ve seen him play for a very long time.
“He’s an incredible player and an unbelievable scrummager.
“I feel we both bettered our game over the last couple of years and it comes back to that old thing of props reaching their peak from 28 [years old] onwards, so I’m grateful that we could be part of it.”
