I am not changing positions ever again, says Thomas ‘the Tank’ du Toit
DURBAN: One would imagine that the last thing Thomas du Toit would like to discuss is his retreat at Ellis Park in the set scrums in the first round of Super Rugby.
But the 136kg ‘Tank’, as he has become known in Durban, is not bothered in the slightest by the criticism he received after the Sharks were smashed in the set scrums in that game, thus paving the way for the Lions to win.
It went much better for him in the set scrums in the Sharks’ draw against the Waratahs in Durban, and then a shoulder niggle caused him to have a break last week against the Sunwolves.
But the big question is: How did he psychologically recover from that setback against the Lions?
“I told myself not to focus on one day that went badly, and not put myself down too much on what went wrong in my transition to a new position and one the Lions targeted heavily,” Du Toit said.
“They were coming for me and they have a very good set scrum.”
Du Toit said that he was calm about the move away from loosehead because tighthead is the position he has always wanted to play.
“I actually wanted to play tighthead a long time ago,” Du Toit said. “I did it two years into SA Under-20, but at the Sharks we needed more players at loosehead than tighthead, but now I have switched and it is the last change I am going to make. This is it. I am not changing positions ever again.
“I am not saying I am not a tighthead after one performance of going backwards. You need time in the saddle to adjust to a new position in the front row.
“I am really confident that I will progress in the position. I am more excited to play tighthead than I am scared of it,” Du Toit said.