Du Toit excited for special clash between Boks and Wales at Twickenham

Springbok captain Pieter-Steph du Toit is excited for another special clash against Wales when the two sides open their international seasons at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).

It is the second time that Du Toit will be captaining the national team, after his first was also against Wales in 2018 at another neutral venue in Washington DC, with the Boks coming up short on that occasion 22-20 after fielding an inexperienced team.

The bruising loose forward thus has a long history against the Welsh and admits that things will be a bit different this time round with him leading a much more experienced team.

Special bond

“I have a special bond with Wales. I made my debut against them in 2013, I captained (the Boks) for the first time against them and now for the second time. So it is special for me to play against them and especially the respect we (the teams) have for each other,” explained Du Toit.

“The way they play and the physicality they bring in a match is massive and the pressure is always there to win when you put on the Springbok jersey.

“We have done our preparation the past two weeks. We have new a defence and attack coach and a few new players. But the core of the squad has stayed the same. So we have a bit more of an edge than we did in 2018, but the pressure will still be on for both sides.”

The match day is part of the Qatar Airways Cup, which also features a clash between the Barbarians, who will be captained by All Blacks great Sam Whitelock in his final match, and Fiji.

The Boks have named a match 23 featuring 16 players that won the Rugby World Cup last year, but have also brought in four debutants, with Edwill van der Merwe and Jordan Hendrikse starting, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Ben-Jason Dixon playing off the bench.

Other players such as Ntuthuko Mchunu (one cap), and Salmaan Moerat (three caps), have not featured much for the Boks, so it will be a massive occasion for all of them and one that should help them grow as players.

Sold out stadium

“Playing at Twickenham at a sold out stadium for the Springboks is an unbelievable honour. It’s the second time that we are playing here as a neutral venue after we played New Zealand here last year,” said Du Toit.

“The message we have for them (the new guys) is that we have done our hard work over the last two weeks. Our system is in place and is there to protect the guys in the team. So they can just go out, enjoy themselves and focus on their personal abilities that got them picked for the Springboks.”

In terms of the captaincy Du Toit is happy to be leading the team, but isn’t worried about whether he will take it on a full-time basis, or if he will just stand in occasionally.

“It is a massive honour to be able to captain this team, but for us the captain is (almost) irrelevant in this team. The job description (for the captain) is to communicate for the players with the ref,” said Du Toit.

“Inside the team environment everyone has a specific role that has been assigned to you and it is your responsibility to make sure that you fulfil that role.”