Pieter-Steph du Toit

Pieter Stephanus du Toit (born 20 August 1992) is a South African professional rugby union player who plays as a lock or flanker for the South Africa and Toyota Verblitz in Japan Rugby League One. A two-time recipient of the World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year award (2019 and 2024), he is regarded as one of the outstanding players of his generation. Du Toit was a key member of the Springboks' 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2023 World Cup-winning squads and was named man of the match in the 2023 final against New Zealand. Renowned for his stamina, defensive work rate, and tackling dominance, he is widely considered among the greatest players of all time. Quotes He died when I was four, but I recall him tossing me about with those powerful arms, He was just 60 when he died in 1996. He was very fit, and the week before he died he had run a marathon. I grew up with a sense of destiny and of value in my heritage. This has always resonated with me. I feel a sense of responsibility carrying this name. I had a feeling I would walk in my grandfather’s footsteps from the day I found a pair of his old boots in a barn. I was very young and these old leather boots took me halfway to my knees. My dad let me wear them rather than stick them on a mantelpiece. I ran around in them until they fell apart. The farm is very much in my blood,There is something special in working with nature, watching the grapes grow and finally get harvested. As soon as my rugby career is over I will be straight back to the farm. I don’t know where the thought came from; it must have been from God, I asked the doctor if a piece of my hamstring could work as a tendon on my son's knee. He agreed that this was a very unusual but probably brilliant remedy. So, they took a slice out of me like biltong to strengthen Pieter-Steph’s ACL, . We both went out in wheelchairs, but then I was walking first, which I like to remind him of. He has not had it easy, but it has given him a very strong mind, The Du Toits are all fighters. We don’t give up. We never have, and we never will. Destiny, heritage and heart: The remarkable journey of Springbok star Pieter-Steph du Toit, September 2021,Mike Greenway External links Category:Rugby union players from South Africa Category:Living people Category:1992 births