Springboks prop Thomas du Toit has hit out at those who are trying to depower the scrum, which would take away one of his team’s greatest weapons.
South Africa have based their back-to-back World Cup triumphs on the strength of their set-piece and it remains a crucial part of their armoury.
While Rassie Erasmus’ men have expanded their game since the 2023 global tournament, they have continued to dominate up front.
Du Toit has played a massive role in that, but his influence could be reduced if World Rugby seemingly have its way.
World Rugby’s law amendment
The governing body introduced a law which prevented sides from taking a scrum if a free-kick had been awarded.
World Rugby have therefore faced accusations, particularly from Springboks fans, about trying to take away the world champions’ biggest strength.
“Depowering the scrum, I find it strange because it’s like a slap in the face for the players who’ve been working incredibly hard to get that result,” Du Toit told the Times.
Despite World Rugby’s attempts to make the scrum less of a factor, the Boks showed that it can still be a key aspect of the game when they dominated Ireland up front last month.
“It’s not something that was given to us. Ireland, or whoever we played, didn’t decide that they were going to go backwards in the scrum,” the Boks prop added.
“It didn’t come over the course of a day or we snapped our fingers and it happened. We’ve been grafting for years. Training sessions are brutal. They’re more difficult than the games for us.
“Now that we’ve got it right a couple of times, people go, ‘No, you can’t have that.’ I find that strange. The biggest thing to understand is it’s not just given to us. I can promise you every team-mate of mine will testify to the fact that it’s really earned.”
South Africa and Ireland have had their battles over recent years, with a rivalry building as they became two of the best teams in the world, but Du Toit insisted that it did not make it extra sweet.
“It’s not because it was against Ireland. The opposition really doesn’t matter. It’s just the fact that we were clicking and everything was working and going our way,” he said.
“Everyone’s working towards this common goal and when you see it happen, you’re ecstatic about it — that’s the rewarding part.”
Brilliance for Bath
Du Toit’s elevation to the Springboks starting line-up has been helped by his form for Bath. The tighthead has been exceptional since moving to the West Country in 2023, but he will move back to the Sharks at the end of the season.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
The prop played a key role in their Premiership victory earlier this year and they are well placed to repeat that triumph next June, as well as potentially a tilt at the Investec Champions Cup.
“Going back-to-back Prem winners would be something special,” he added
“In the Champions Cup we’re in a good position with the players that we’ve got and the amount of continuity that we’ve built over the past 3½ years. We’re primed for proper effort in that competition. If you win that, then there’s nothing more you can do.”
READ MORE: Ex-Springboks star reveals which position is best for ‘ball player’ Damian Willemse