Relentless Du Toit continues to raise the bar

OPINION: Pieter-Steph du Toit has taken his game to new heights in 2024, and an all-conquering Springbok team has reaped the benefits, writes Jon Cardinelli.

Du Toit was named Player of the Year at the World Rugby Awards ceremony in Monaco on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe, who were also nominated for the main prize, were selected for World Rugby’s Dream Team for 2024, as were Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx, Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel.

* To recap all the awards, CLICK HERE!

While these awards and nominations are subjective, they are based on the fact that the Springboks dominated the men’s game in 2024.

The only surprise was that Rassie Erasmus wasn’t duly recognised with the Coach of the Year accolade – with the award going to Jérôme Daret, who steered the France Sevens side to a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Erasmus’ charges won 11 of their 13 Tests, claiming the Rugby Championship and Freedom Cup titles in the process, and winning all of their northern hemisphere tour fixtures for the first time since 2013.

World Rugby no longer acknowledges the Team of the Year with an annual accolade, and in a sense, no accolade is needed.

The overflowing South African Rugby Union trophy cabinet, which also includes the Webb Ellis Cup, shows why South Africa is worthy of the description.

That said, the consensus regarding the Player of the Year award is significant.

Du Toit is a deserved recipient of the award, and that is some statement considering the other candidates – Etzebeth, Kolbe and Ireland captain Caelan Doris – have played out of their skins in 2024.

The Pieter-Steph du Toit story just gets better and better with every passing season.

* VIDEO: Du Toit reacts to winning big

Du Toit was named South Africa’s Player of the Year in 2016 and 2018. It was only in 2019, however, that the versatile forward started to realise his potential. His defensive exploits went a long way towards earning Erasmus’ side their first World Cup title.

The challenges across the dark years of 2016 and 2017 – where the Boks slumped to seventh in the World Rugby rankings following a string of heavy defeats – paled in comparison to what he would face in 2020: a career-threatening leg injury.

At the time, there was talk of amputating the leg below the knee. Some medical experts suggested that Du Toit would walk again, and that he might play rugby – although not at the same standard as before.

Du Toit fought his way back to full fitness and featured in the 2021 Lions series, before another injury – this time to his shoulder – led to a lengthy layoff.

Having moved to a club in Japan, he took advantage of the less intense schedule and worked to heal and strengthen his body with a view to another international comeback.

In an interview in 2022, I asked him about his plans for the 2023 World Cup, and he confirmed that he was gunning for selection.

In early 2023, I asked him if the tournament in France would be his swansong, and whether his body had had enough. Once again, he gave the impression that he had no intent of packing it in.

Somehow, Du Toit has bounced back from a career-threatening injury, and taken his game to new heights in subsequent seasons.

Teammates and coaches often comment about his freakish athleticism and physicality, but it’s his work ethic and attitude that sets him apart.

There was a powerful scene in Chasing the Sun Two, when the Boks head into the changeroom at half-time of the semi-final against England.

The game appears to be slipping away from South Africa, and Erasmus tears into his players in an attempt to inspire a superior second-half performance.

The camera pans around the room to reveal several shocked faces. When no one else responds, Du Toit – who seldom speaks – steps forward, and tells his teammates – with some colourful language – to get their act together.

The Boks went on to win that semifinal.

A week later, Du Toit made 28 tackles against New Zealand and was named Man of the Match.

2024 was supposed to be a year of transition for the Boks.

In a sense, Erasmus made good on his promise to blood new players – picking 12 new caps and using 50 players overall.

At the same time, he challenged the old guard to show why they deserved their places, and to a man, those senior players responded with some of the best performances of their respective careers.

No Bok forward played more minutes than Du Toit in 2024.

In 10 Tests, he started seven games at blindside, one at No.4, one at No.5 and played off the bench against Scotland.

Blindside flank remains his best position, but there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that he still has what it takes to provide a world-class option in the second row.

The move towards a high-tempo attacking approach under Tony Brown has amplified rather than negated his skill-set. Opposition defences have battled to cope with a 2m, 115kg giant galloping down the touchline, and his ability to offload has contributed to greater flow and continuity in the Bok attack.

Not that there’s been a dilution of the essential Du Toit brand.

Those trademark defensive hits are as brutal as ever – and there’s something to be said for the discipline Du Toit and the other hulking South African forwards have displayed in terms of their tackle height over the past season or so.

The Bok line-out has had its problems on attack, but the likes of Du Toit and Etzebeth have been nothing short of magnificent when contesting the opposition through.

Indeed, Du Toit’s line-out steal at the death of the Freedom Cup decider in Cape Town – where the All Blacks enjoyed one final chance to snatch a win and retain the title – will go down as one of the biggest and most important plays of the season.

You have to feel for Etzebeth, who deserves further recognition for all he has contributed, especially over the past two seasons. Like Du Toit, he has defied expectations to reach a new level of competence at the age of 33. The same goes for Kolbe (31).

Erasmus knows that relatively few of his senior players will push on to the 2027 World Cup.

For this reason, he will be particularly pleased by how some of the younger and less established players have stepped up in 2024.

Aphelele Fassi was a rank outsider in 2021 and 2022, but has made the No 15 jersey his own in 2024.

Loosehead prop Gerhard Steenekamp played one Test in 2023, but has flourished since receiving a regular gig in the matchday 23 this season.

Elrigh Louw made his debut in 2022, but like Steenekamp, has become an essential member of the matchday squad in recent months.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was nominated for the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award on the back of his explosive showings earlier this season.

Grant Williams is yet another who has featured more regularly. As seen in the recent win at Twickenham, where he scored a remarkable try, the new and improved game plan certainly suits his explosive strengths.

Credit needs to go to Du Toit, Etzebeth, Kolbe, Nché, Marx, De Allende, Kriel and other senior players for their contributions.

That said, South Africa’s depth is stronger than ever, and the future of the Boks appears to be in good hands.

And for that, credit needs to go to Erasmus, the best coach on show in 2024, and without a doubt one of the greatest of all time.

@rugby365com