Rugby World Cup 2023: Du Toit opens up on another world title

"You can't believe what's happening… It's so big that you can't think". That is how Pieter-Steph Du Toit describes the feeling that swept over him at the final whistle of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final. South Africa had just beaten New Zealand (12-11) to retain their title, and the 31-year-old was overwhelmed with emotion. He opened up on the "Big Jim Show" hosted by former Scotland international Jim Hamilton.

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Named player of the match in the final after making a total of 28 tackles, Du Toit looked back on a key moment in the Springboks' run, when they briefly thought their tournament might end in the semi-final. Facing England, then the overwhelming favourites, they were behind at half-time. But coach Rassie Erasmus's reaction turned things around and fired them up for the second half. "We always go into a changing room with plans… Rassie came in and said what he had to say, took the replacements into a room next door. Everyone was sitting there. That's not what we're used to. Discussions took place among ourselves, it wasn't planned," he said. Those talks between the players had an effect, with the South Africans turning the game around to win 16-15.

"The joy you put on people's faces"

A gamble or a stroke of genius from the coach? Du Toit has his own view and praised the work of the man who managed to rally his team. "He pushes you to the extreme and he puts himself in your shoes, sometimes he trains with you, he pushes you to the limit and says things that aren't true and you always want to prove him wrong," he said. For him, the collective is the foundation of this latest success. "The team is bigger than the individual and bigger than anything in this room. That's what the management does so well: it gets you to buy into the plan, into the whole system."

A proud South African, Pieter-Steph Du Toit also explained in more detail what representing his country means to him: "The satisfaction you get, the joy you put on people's faces for what we have achieved… You can't buy it, it's the work you put in behind the scenes and nobody sees it, the satisfaction you get, you can't measure it. It's an honour and a privilege."

He would love to feel those emotions again if the chance comes. At just 31, the Springbok is still a long way from hanging up his boots and would not say no to another campaign in 2027 in an attempt to win a 3rd consecutive title. But only "if [I am] good enough and the body [allows me]."