Thomas du Toit says the Springboks expect Ireland’s trademark structure and precision in Dublin on Saturday, but insists the fixture is not a “grudge match”.
With the Boks still searching for a first win at the Aviva Stadium under Rassie Erasmus and following on from last year’s drawn two-Test series in South Africa, the prop brushed off talk of an unofficial decider.
“I think media would like to throw it that way, but we don’t see it that way,” he said. “We’ve really taken every match and put it into its individual box … trying to focus as much as we can on that specific game for that specific week.”
ALSO: Awesome Ox makes history
Still, he admits the intensity is high.
“We are definitely putting a massive emphasis on this week like we’ve done for every other week.”
Asked what makes Ireland different from France and Italy, Du Toit highlighted their depth of understanding.
“There’s a couple of things similar – unbelievably physical sides – but Ireland bring a more structured game, structure within structure,” he said. “They understand their game very well … a couple of phases ahead. They know who they want to target.”
KEO & ZELS: Rassie on red alert for Dublin delights
However, the Boks won’t be altering their approach.
“It doesn’t really change anything for us. We do our homework as best we can and we adapt on the day.”
Crucially, South Africa now have coaches and players steeped in the Irish system. Du Toit said assistant coaches Jerry Flannery and Felix Jones – both with deep Irish roots – have added value this week.
“They’ve definitely got good insights … they’ve worked with a couple of the players,” he noted, while again stressing the Boks’ preparation ethos: “It’s all about us doing our own homework … like we do every week.”
IRISH LEGEND: Some of Rassie’s innovations are bulls**t
He also pointed to the influence of RG Snyman, who plays his club rugby for Leinster.
“He knows the players very well … he gets coached alongside them and trains with them,” Du Toit said. “So definitely a little bit of personal insights to the team and to the players that play for Ireland – and that’s very beneficial.”
Ultimately, he added, the talk ends soon enough.
“The Test is on Saturday.”
ALSO: Four Boks crack Player of the Year nods
Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images
The post Du Toit: Ireland pose a different challenge appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
