Opinion: Pieter-Steph du Toit’s second World Rugby Award settles ‘impossible’ Springboks debate

Debating the greats is a famed pastime of sports fans across the globe and rugby is no different with Pieter-Steph du Toit now settling one for the Springboks.

Ask two fans to pick the greatest of all time between Michael Jordan or LeBron James, Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, Messi or Ronaldo, Ali or Tyson and you are likely to get two different answers.

In many cases, it is a nigh-on impossible choice to make after glittering careers, some of which cannot be compared as the respective sport has changed and developed for the good or bad between the two legends’ careers.

But with professional sports being in the entertainment business, one cannot help but draw comparisons and spark debate, it all goes hand-in-hand with what makes it all so special for the fanatics.

However, on Sunday evening when the name Pieter-Steph du Toit was said after ‘the 2024 World Rugby Player of the Year is…’ one debate was well and truly put to bed with an answer to the question of who is the Springboks’ greatest-ever blindside flanker?

Venter set the standard

The Green and Gold number six jersey was made iconic by Francois Pienaar and Nelson Mandela back in 1995 but as many will know, South Africa’s blindside flanker dons the number seven jumper – a jersey made iconic in its own right in the modern era by the exploits of Andre Venter during South Africa’s then record-breaking 17-game winning streak.

Venter set the benchmark for a Springboks number seven with his relentless work-rate, aggressive defence, physicality and overall brilliance around the park, combing with Rassie Erasmus and Gary Teichmann to create one of the most formidable loose trios in Springboks history.

Upon his retirement from international rugby, the Springboks went in search of his successor with the likes of AJ Venter, Pedrie Wannenburg, Joe van Niekerk, and Danie Rossouw all having a fair crack at nailing down the role with mixed success. That was of course until Juan Smith stamped his mark in the jersey under Jake White’s tutelage and once he got a stronghold on the role, he never let go.

Juan Smith makes his mark

In fact, Smith added layers to the standards that Venter set on what was required of a Springboks blindside flanker. This was partly down to the game now fully professional but the Cheetahs skipper brought an insane level of consistency in each outing he made in Green and Gold.

He hit countless rucks, made just as many carries and was imperious on defence while not only being a safe lineout option but a threat to the opposition’s ball too. For much of his career, Smith’s exploits went unheralded but those who played with or against the work-horse loose forward were well aware of his quality and importance to a powerhouse Springboks pack that clinched the Rugby World Cup in 2007.

The brilliant blindside continued that form through to the 2009 British and Irish Lions series where in one of the most brutal trio of Tests, he shone in all facets of the game combining superbly with breakout star Heinrich Brüssow. What made Smith such a brilliant player was not just his work-rate and ability around the park but how he could balance out a back-row with his all-round skillset. This allowed the likes of Schalk Burger and Brüssow to have freedom around the park and influence the game with their main strengths.

When Smith announced his retirement in 2017 after a sterling career turning out for the Boks, his beloved Cheetahs as well as Toyota Verblitz in Japan and Toulon in France, there was no debate, he was the greatest number seven to ever play for the Boks. But few would have guessed that the next great Springboks seven had already made his Test debut four years prior.

A standout performer for the Springboks U20s, Du Toit was widely tipped for a long career on the international stage in the second-row. In fact, his first start in the number seven jumper was South Africa’s infamous defeat to Japan at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and when Ben Youngs and his England teammates targetted Du Toit in 2016, the public was dead set, the blonde-haired forward was not worthy of the seven jersey.

 

Proving Rassie wrong

The sentiment was shared by new head coach Erasmus in 2018 when he took charge of the team.

“I got it totally wrong with Pieter-Steph du Toit,” Erasmus wrote in SA Rugby Magazine in 2018.

“I had never worked with him or coached him before 2018, so all I had to rely on was my gut instinct when assessing his play. I thought he was physical in the Springboks’ 25-24 defeat against the All Blacks at Newlands in 2017. But I also thought he was poor defensively, missed a lot of tackles and ran too upright as a ball-carrier. I watched that Test and at the time thought I wouldn’t pick him to start for the Springboks.

“I had read that other coaches had raved about his strengths as a player and as an athlete. But that Test in Cape Town did nothing to change my mind of him as a player. He was big, physical and passionate, but I didn’t for a moment think I was watching an exceptional rugby player.”

Later adding: “He is just the type of player who can again make the Springboks respected and revered. I have never been as wrong about a player as I was with Pieter-Steph, and I have never been as pleased to be so wrong.”

And so many fans and pundits will now feel the same as Erasmus as Du Toit marked a historic moment in Springboks rugby, becoming the first South African to win two World Rugby Player of the Year Awards.

 

What really sets Du Toit apart from his predecessor is how he has come back from the insane setbacks that should have ended his career to return to a world-class level. He tore a ligament in his knee twice before making his Rugby World Cup debut in 2015, a crushing blow for a young forward making his mark at the highest level. His dream of representing his country at the World Cup was almost crushed but ultimately saved by his father donating a hamstring tendon which helped him recover in time.

 

Setback after setback

After an underwhelming World Cup, he was written off as a Test back-rower not only by the public but also when new head coach Erasmus arrived. It took some time but he eventually changed the Bok head coach’s mind and went on to star at the 2019 Rugby World Cup as South Africa won the tournament based on their power game with Du Toit powering with his diesel engine that would make a Toyota Hilux blush.

His performances would earn him his first World Rugby Player of the Year crown and rightly so and even though he was now regarded as one of the finest players in the modern game, there were still setbacks to come.

After sustaining a knock on his leg during a match for the Stormers, Du Toit lost feeling in his lower limbs and was subsequently rushed to hospital, a move that ultimately saved his leg. The forward had suffered a rare condition called acute compartment syndrome which resulted in him spending 12 days in hospital with an open wound and sidelined for over a year. Here he faced the mighty task of proving that he could still get back to the highest level and chase a third World Cup appearance as he entered his 30s. His return to Green and Gold was during the Lions series where again, he shone before a crunching hit on Duhan van der Merwe sidelined him once again.

But just like on the pitch, Du Toit was relentless and unwavering as he fought his way back to full fitness and produced a blinder again at the World Cup. His shift in the final where he made 28 tackles ranks as one of the greatest performances at a World Cup and certainly rivals that of Thierry Dusautoir against the All Blacks in the 2011 final.

This is what distinguishes Du Toit from Venter and Smith. His ability to bounce from his setbacks and disappointments during his career – Venter’s resolve afterwards is incomparable – and not only return to the highest level but dominate when he is there. He is the epitome of what the Springboks stand for, he is now not only the benchmark for a seven in Green and Gold but for a Bok forward.

It was once an incredibly difficult decision to make when picking between Du Toit and Smith but now it’s not, there is clearly one that is the greatest Springboks seven. At 32 years old, Du Toit should be winding down in the latter stages of his career but much like in the 70th minute of a Test match, he shows no signs of slowing down which brings about two more debates for the Great PSDT, is he the greatest Springboks loose forward of all-time and then does he rival Eben Etzebeth as the best player South Africa has ever produced? Only time will tell on those two but for now, his two World Cup medals and two World Rugby Player of the Year Awards after his insane setbacks closes the debate on if he is the greatest number seven.