Captain Pieter-Steph du Toit believes the Springboks’ latest crop of emerging players will be wearing the green and gold for years to come.
The world champions claimed a 43-0 Nations Championship victory over Wales at Kings Park, with debutants Vusi Moyo, Jaco Williams, Carlü Sadie and Ruben van Heerden putting in impressive performances.
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While pleased with the result, Du Toit said the Boks’ satisfaction came from executing the key areas they had targeted during the week.
“We came into this game with a plan and we tried to focus on the set-phases – especially the scrum and lineout.
“I think our defence was good in stages as well, so we can be happy up to a certain point, especially having ticked some of the boxes we wanted to tick.”
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The victory provided another glimpse of the depth Rassie Erasmus is building, with several younger players producing eye-catching performances alongside the squad’s established stars.
Du Toit believes the newcomers have shown they belong at Test level.
“The way they played today, there are some guys putting their hands up and I think a few of them are going to wear the jersey for a long time.”
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Competition for places has become a hallmark of the Springboks under Erasmus, with every player knowing consistent performances are needed to stay in the Bok picture in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup.
For Du Toit, that internal battle is one of the squad’s greatest strengths.
“It’s wonderful. We love competition, especially knowing that the team’s going to go forward,” he said. “We always push each other and always want the best guy to play on a Saturday.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
The post Pieter-Steph: Young Boks here to stay appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Captain Pieter-Steph du Toit believes the Springboks’ latest crop of emerging players will be wearing the green and gold for years to come.
The post Pieter-Steph: Young Boks here to stay appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
