Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is grateful to England club Bath for honing Thomas du Toit into one of the world’s best forwards.
Du Toit has just completed a three-year tenure at the West Country club under former Springbok assistant coach Johann van Graan. During his time with Bath, the beefy Du Toit has vastly improved his all-round game from his career at the Sharks.
The 31-year-old is at home on either side of the front row and won many a penalty for Bath with his powerful scrummaging, while his ball-carrying was magnificent — in 65 matches for Bath, Du Toit scored 25 tries.
And the 136kg giant, nicknamed The Tank, has gone from a fringe Bok to a starter — he will be at tighthead prop against England on Saturday.
“Thomas has come a long way with us,” Erasmus said.
“In 2019, he did not make the World Cup squad. Some of his family had gone to the World Cup to watch him, but he wasn’t there initially after we had to make a very close selection call. Trevor Nyakane got injured, and he flew in.
“Thomas is a student of the game, a very professional guy,” Erasmus continued. “Bath have made him a very valuable team member.
“Early in his career, it was Tendai Mtawarira and Ox Nche playing well at loosehead, and we advised him to move to tighthead; otherwise, where was he going to play if he wanted to play for the Boks?
“The Sharks then moved him to tighthead, and last year, when he came back to us, he played his first game at loosehead, but he said, “No, I am a tighthead now!”
Erasmus says he watched Du Toit’s heroics for Bath with growing interest.
“He kept winning the Player of the Match awards, and scored a heap of tries,” Erasmus smiled. “The English players know him well, and he knows them well. But as well as he played in England, he must move up a level and do it for us.”
Breathing down Du Toit’s neck is 20-year-old Zach Porthen, who continues to rise in Erasmus’ estimation. The young Stormer made his debut late last year when the Boks played a friendly against Japan, and his meteoric rise continues.
Erasmus said on Monday that Porthen had scrummed admirably against Nche and Gerhard Steenekamp in training under the esteemed tutelage of scrum doctor Daan Human.
“We think Zach is a really good player, and especially when it comes to scrumming. He’s learned a lot from Wilco Louw and Thomas.
“Zach is scrumming against our top guys and doing a great job. We feel he can do a good job for us against England, especially at altitude.”
