Pieter-Steph du Toit: Boks’ Mr Versatility … lock, flank, maybe a spot in the backs?

Pieter-Steph du Toit once again showed why he is one of the best rugby players in the world at the moment, with an action-packed man-of-the-match performance to help the Springboks beat the All Blacks 31-27 at Ellis Park over the weekend.

Du Toit was again the “Swiss Army Knife” of the forward pack, or Mr Versatility, as he incredibly played in three different positions during the game on Saturday.

Due to the Boks’ lock crisis, that saw five frontline locks ruled out for the match and enforcer Eben Etzebeth playing off the bench after he picked up a knock in training, Du Toit was selected to start at No 4 lock.

Although he began his career as a No 5 lock, before shifting to No 7 flank where he has become one of the most feared loose forwards in world rugby, Du Toit had never played front lock (No 4) before Saturday, and all three positions are different in various ways.

After the game Du Toit was asked where next he expected to feature, with him joking that he would like a spot in the backline to have a bit of a rest, while his ears took a bit of a beating in the scrum, but also admitted he would play anywhere needed for the team.

Play on the wing

“I think next time I have to play wing, I can rest a bit more,” said Du Toit with a laugh. “My ears are a bit sore. But I will play in any position for this team. They asked me to do it (in the week) and I am more than happy and capable of doing it.

“It was challenging in the line-outs, all three positions have different movements in the line-outs. So this (last) week I had to make sure I was well-prepared. But to play against them (the All Blacks) where they put you under pressure in the air was very difficult.

“We’ve got a job to do, we get paid to do this. Guys pay a lot of money to see us do this and we’ve got to represent them and make sure they get value for their money.

“To play against one of the best in the world, you have to be at your best. I think the senior players in the team help a lot with the pressure points, so everyone has a point to focus on. I think it had a big impact on how we controlled the game.”

Smiling Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus also hailed the performance of Du Toit after the match, saying: “We were feeling sorry for Pieter-Steph. He played four, five and seven and later he said he didn’t even know his name anymore.”