Du Toit player of year in Boks’ sweep

SOUTH Africa flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit was named World Rugby Player of the Year yesterday, in a clean sweep of the main awards for the Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks.

Rassie Erasmus won coach of the year and South Africa also took the team award at a glittering ceremony in Tokyo, a day after the Springboks lifted the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time.

Du Toit, who plays his club rugby for Western Province, was instrumental in South Africa’s RWC campaign, especially effective at the breakdown and winning the battle against England’s famed “kamikaze boys” back row in the final.

“It’s a massive honor for me to accept this award,” said Du Toit, 27.

“I think when we come back (to South Africa), it’s going to be an unbelievable experience... We can’t wait to get home. We miss our country so much.”

Du Toit beat off competition including his teammate wing Cheslin Kolbe, as well as All Black Ardie Savea and England’s young star Tom Curry.

The World Rugby panel picked South Africa as team of the year and Erasmus as coach of the year after the Boks won the RWC and also secured the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2009.

Erasmus took over as director of rugby at the end of 2017 and shortly afterwards doubled his responsibilities by becoming head coach following the sacking of Allister Coetzee after a miserable run of 12 losses from 25 games over two seasons.

He has turned the Boks’ fortunes around in less than two years, culminating in Saturday’s 32-12 win when Siya Kolisi, their first black captain, lifted the trophy in Yokohama.

But when the euphoria of the triumph subsides in the coming weeks, South African Rugby will be faced with filling the head coach role vacated by Erasmus.

The Springboks coach stated long before the final that he would return to his role of director of rugby, allowing for a new man to take the team forward. “It is my last test match that I will be the head coach,” Erasmus said ahead of the final. “For me, it’s an emotional one in the sense that I didn’t think 25 test matches would go that quickly.

“But I will be heavily involved, hopefully, still after this.”

Defense coach Jacques Nienaber is also likely to stay on and is a trusted lieutenant of Erasmus after they served together in the army and have worked side-by-side at South Africa’s Cheetahs and Stormers, and at Munster in Ireland.

(Agencies)