AUDIO: How Van Graan made Du Toit a greater Bok

LISTEN as 2019 World Cup winner Thomas du Toit explains how his time at Bath improved his versatility to play on each side of the scrum.

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Du Toit isn’t any stranger to the duel position. His capacity to play loosehead and tighthead prop noticed him getting known as as much as the Springbok squad through the 2019 World Cup when fellow duel scrummager Trevor Nyakane bought injured within the opening match towards New Zealand.

Although Du Toit did not function within the Final, his contributions had been key within the build-up to the Boks’ third world title, serving as a like-for-like alternative for Nyakane.

Du Toit had a stellar 2024/2025 season with Premiership outfit Bath beneath the steerage of former Bok assistant coach Johann van Graan, profitable the Premiership Rugby Cup, the English Premiership and the EPCR Challenge Cup.

He was additionally nominated for the Premiership Player of the Season award, which Gloucester’s Tomos Williams received.

Now again in inexperienced and gold, Du Toit hailed Bath head coach Van Graan, who aided his enchancment in his versatility abilities on the scrum.

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"I’m very grateful for the truth that again at Bath, Johann [van Graan] gave me ample alternatives this season to play on each side of the scrum.

"I really feel very comfy with it [playing loosehead and tighthead]. It’s a place I’m not uncomfortable with and it does not faze me.

"In the week’s preparation, it is like driving a motorbike. You get again to what that pure feeling is.

"I do not thoughts it. I really feel prefer it’s one other arsenal to my recreation I can take out every time the coaches or staff wants it, and I’m grateful that I can play that position."

Du Toit says his time at Bath wasn’t at all times clean crusing, however finally made him a greater participant.

He additionally praised Bok teammate Wilco Louw, who had a stellar United Rugby Championship marketing campaign with the Bulls.

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"I’d say individuals develop in tough circumstances. When you are taken out of your consolation zone, it is both sink or swim.

"When I went to Bath, I really feel that it put me out of my consolation zone, however in a constructive means.

"There was this realisation that I wanted to carry my recreation to compete with the most effective.

"The Premiership is an effective, robust competitors, so I felt that I wanted to carry my recreation, after which it comes again to the teaching workers that see sure issues in you that they assume they’ll develop and when you, as a participant, are prepared to try this.

"Regarding Wilco [Louw], I really feel that he is enjoying his finest rugby that I’ve seen him play for a really very long time.

"He’s an unbelievable participant and an unbelievable scrummager.

"I really feel we each bettered our recreation over the past couple of years and it comes again to that outdated factor of props reaching their peak from 28 [years old] onwards, so I’m grateful that we could possibly be a part of it."

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July 9, 2025 at 08:07AM