Another award . . .

Pieter-Steph du Toit is named best player in the world by Midi Olympique, ending Antoine du Pont's 4 year reign as world's best player..

You can read it here: https://www.planetrugby.com/news/pieter-steph-du-toit-becomes-the-latest-springbok-to-be-crowned-worlds-best-ending-antoine-duponts-four-year-reign

How dumb are all these people who rate this donkey? Don't they know he's just a plodding process-tackler? Don't they know he has no power, no courage and no ball skills? What is wrong with all these people?

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha!

PSdT, you legend!

He is such a good player - gets better with age

His exploits out wide have added to his appeal

Well done to Steffels.

Was Antontjie really best player for 4 years in a row? I know about the player of the year award but don't think I've ever heard of this Midi Olympique thing.

All anecdotal, but it stacks up Pakie...the lad is an exceptional player and yet he's being played down on this site while the world wide accolades stream in.

Ardi Savea is the best rugby player in the game in my opinion. Kolbe would be my second choice. This year Sacha has done far more to lift the Boks than any other player. It would be presumptuous to call him the best player in the world so soon, but how long have we waited for an inside back that can create space when there is none.

" This year Sacha has done far more to lift the Boks than any other player"

This is a more accurate evaluation I would say…..Blondie is a Media star though:) I must say Kloovenburg wine is tasty.

Never tried it, mainly whites or reds?

https://kloovenburg.com/

I had the Eight Feet Red Blend. Mainly Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre and Carignan.

It’s Produced by none other then Blondie:)

They also have a Merlot. Then Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, a White blend and a Brut non-vintage sparkling Wine.

I mostly like Red Wine:)

I can encourage everyone to go there, it’s a beautiful farm in Riebeek-Kasteel…..Man, I got hammered there and slept the whole drive back to Helderberg :)

Off course I didn’t Drive….:)

Who are Midi Olympique whines pakster in an attempt to downgrade the praise.

No opines mozzietard Ardri, Kolbe and Sacha are better. So mozzietard are you slagging off the 4th best player in the world then?

No twice Rugby Player of the World Du Toit is one of the greatest number 7 to ever play the game and no retards saying otherwise will change that.

so what to do. Deflect to discussing wine!

Bwahahahahahahahahha

"No opines mozzietard Ardri, Kolbe and Sacha are better. So mozzietard are you slagging off the 4th best player in the world then?"

LOL

Well Beeno now that I've googled Midi Olympique and seen that it is only a French newspaper, I think it actually had more authority during my ignorance!

No I would never slag off Eben Etzebeth….who would in fact have been my Best Player in 2023 and perhaps 2024.

Edited

LOL

"No I would never slag off Eben Etzebeth….who would in fact have been my Best Player in 2003 and perhaps 2004."

Hmmm . . . so Moffie's World's best Player in 2003 was a 12 year old?

We all know Moffie has wet, sticky dreams about Eben but that might be pushing it a bit far.

LMAO!

Actually my best player in 2024 was Schalk Burger….you had….wait for it….Luke Watson.

ROFL!

Come now be honest admit picking a guy who dishonored the jersey over a legend was really dumb.

"Actually my best player in 2024 was Schalk Burger…."

So Moffie has 12 year old Eben as his best player of 2003 and long-retired 41 year old Skulk as his best player of 2024.

And people wonder why I call this clown a rugby noob . . .

Midi Olympique is a French bi-weekly newspaper specializing in rugby and belonging to La Dépêche du Midi group. Its headquarters are based in Toulouse while some offices are located in Paris. The first edition was published on 2 September 1929,[3] meaning it is one of the oldest French weekly still in existence (after Le Canard enchaîné).[4]

Nicknamed Midol or Le Jaune (The Yellow) in reference to the color of the paper is made of, it mainly covers news from rugby union, from the professional Top 14 league to the amateur teams of the most modest levels (Fourth Series), and it also devotes a few pages to rugby league. It was published weekly on a Monday until Spring 2006 when a second edition began to be released each week on Friday. The Monday edition is nicknamed the "Rouge" (The Red) and the Friday the "Vert" (The Green) in reference to the different color used for the nameplate of the two editions.[5]

In 1998, Midi Olympique launched its website, which was renamed Rugbyrama.fr in 2000 in partnership with Eurosport,[5] and changed the formula of the newspaper under the leadership of its managing editor Jacques Verdier.

In 2005, the newspaper grew to printing 140,000 copies on Monday and 120,000 of the Friday edition for a circulation of around 89,000 copies each issue, steadily increasing around 2% per year since 1999. Special issues are published at the beginning and end of the season to introduce or summarize past or future events. Every first Monday of the month, the newspaper comes with a magazine supplement, Midi Olympique Magazine.[6]

The 33-year-old clinches the award voted for by Midi Olympique readers and ends Antoine Dupont’s four-year reign over the gong.

89 000 circulation is a quite significant sample size vs a few naysayers on this site.

MozartHall Of Famer

47,254 posts

Nov 06, 2025, 14:53

2004 Burger Sting

ROFL….he falls for it again…..strike!!!

And people wonder why I call Rhonda my bunny….waaaahaha!

RooiBalls is filled with so much hate for you that even after his little hiatus and his supposed turning over of a new leaf, coming here only for the rugby, he simply can't resist once he believes he's found an unassailable attack vector.

What a sad twat.

89 000 circulation is a quite significant sample size vs a few naysayers on this site.

Give me a critical thinker over a member of the crowd any day, Draad.

His early version of the first post pointing out the date snafu had lurid sexual material of the usual kind. He edited it out, presumably thinking it made him look like a pervert himself. Self awareness, maybe a bit of progress.

"89 000 circulation is a quite significant sample size vs a few naysayers on this site.

Give me a critical thinker over a member of the crowd any day, Draad"

Critical thinking...sometimes trying too hard at being a contrarian can be confused for critical thinking...a French rugby paper's readers are much less prone to South African media bias and a good example of an impartial sample...just because you don't agree with the end result does not mean it's irrelevant...probably more relevant than you might think....so tell me, where do you rate him as a 7...in the world and in the country?

Draad you are wasting your time

This became one of the silliest theads on site ever.

Critical thinking...sometimes trying too hard at being a contrarian can be confused for critical thinking - a band wagon rider can be confused for a critical thinker too, and hedging their bets with the crowd because they're afraid to think for themselves. The bandwagon is ALWAYS an easier bento be as it's the route of less resistance. What's your point?

...a French rugby paper's readers are much less prone to South African media bias and a good example of an impartial sample - You don't know that and hero worship bias is international - we watch the same podcasts everybody else does, and so do the French. And I could ask you, how much Japanese rugby do the French watch? Because we have plenty of players playing there and none of us watch it, so how do they know PSDT is player of the year? Purely from his Bok performances this year, because PSDT has a good game or two but nothing special and certainly not world beating. You honestly think PSDT has been the most influential player on a rugby field this year? Like, really?

...just because you don't agree with the end result does not mean it's irrelevant - just because you agree with an end result doesn't mean it's right or relevant.

...probably more relevant than you might think - probably less relevant than you might think.

Well on this site I'm actually not going with the flow now am I Plum?...much more group think in your corner from where I'm standing...critical thinking my arse...you're on the Dud-bash bandwagon and it's as full as a Soweto taxi going to Durban for Easter.

And yet, not once to my knowledge have you criticized Mike’s rants about Esterhozen. You have selective outrage.

Now I’ve asked you this question many times….what does Dud Toit actually do, that the locks don’t do. I can’t find it in the numbers, just be so kind as to help me.

That's why he is a good lock too...and some things don't show up in the limited numbers that you have access to...

Wrt Maaik and Esterhuizen...Ive told him that he's wrong and I know he will never admit it, so why bother harping on about it? I rate Esterhuizen highly...funny thing is, when AE started playing for the Sharks back in the day, Maaik actually rated him and you didn't...you called him a cart horse that should rather be played at flank...or you heckled Maaik because the then Sharks coach tried him at flanker...think it was Plumtree...how things have changed over the years...you called him Esterhozen...remember that?

PS...there is no outrage, just a difference of opinion...and in all these years I haven't insulted you once...not deliberately anyway...you can’t say the same, can you?

so tell me, where do you rate him as a 7...in the world and in the country?

He's one of the best blindsiders in the world. Ardie is up there, but of course he plays different positions too. They have different strengths. Ardie has the ground game that PSDT completely lacks. There are things that PSDT does that I can't get behind - a while back I highlighted how he kept getting in the way of the wing. We have a sliver of space for pace to exploit outside the defense, but the ball goes to PSDT standing inside the wing who then lumbers a few yards downfield at lock pace before being tackled and then we set up again and the momentum and space is lost. In those instances the ball needs to get to the wing. This is not being contrarian - this is spotting something that a player does that negates team opportunity.

For the most part I think he is a fine player, but he has weaknesses just like any other. Somehow though it's taboo to mention those. I still find it strange how invested this community is in the "agree with the majority" and "say only good things" or you're a contrarian/idiot/whatever. I've said nothing negative about PSDT that I couldn't back up with actual events on the field, and I've given him plenty of praise when he contributes. If that bothers you guys, well, bou 'n bruggie as we say in Afrikaans.

I don't mind PSDT really. Never rated him super highly but he's gotten better. I don't think he's near the level of hype he gets though.

I very much doubt there is anything PSDT can do that Roos can't, for example. I think Elrigh Louw is better too.

Here's the thing, Draad...

I see Saffas falling for the same shit the Ozzies did when they had that excellent cricket team. We're getting this arrogant "the sun shines out of our arses, and when Rassie sits down the sun sets" attitude.

In reality we have an insane talent pool. And it's down to our school system and the growing interest from the non-white community. I don't think our performances match the talent we have.

Our population lack the mental fortitude, and maturity, to recognise how very lucky we were at the last WC and I'm sick of explaining what luck means because a bloody 10 year old can understand it but a group of adults blinded by the sun shining out of Rassie arse never will.

And then there are bright moments, like the Wellington game, which told Rassie in the most certain terms possible that his idea of our best side was entirely inaccurate.

...then what does he do after the actual best players bail him out and win him the RC? Well, he fucks AE around with some stupid flank role and boots Willemse back to 15, in favour of the very midfield combination that failed him at Eden Park. They very same midfield that never creates anything for anybody.

The danger of all this arrogance is that when it does come crashing down, it hurts a lot more. Why? Well because then you are not only dealing with the downfall but also with having to come to terms with realising how deluded you were.

So perhaps I am contrarian, but where you see dominance, I compare our dominance to the ABs from a decade ago, and I don't see nearly same level of dominance despite us having all the talent to do so. Where you see Rassie the God, I see Rassie the coach that is gifted with the most talent group of players SA has ever had and I lean our win rate against times when we didn't have this many talented players.

I see Ireland and how much they do with the little they have, and then I look at the Boks and I feel almost embarrassed by how we struggle against lesser teams when we should rolling them.

Edit: Give me Farrell and his entire coaching team staff ahead of Rassie and his bunch any day of the week. I'd keep oom Daan though. There, I said it. Farrell > Rassie

So nothing….Etzebeth made a telling contribution to our win over France, Snyman to our win over England. Forget the stats, which oddly show up for every other loosie, when did Dud make a vital contribution which won a big match….all that tackling against NZ would simply have been done by Mostert if Dud went off instead of him. I can’t think of once where he decided a test, odd for the best player in the world.

As for Esterhozen I still call him that. And I still think he is a cart horse. But so is Dud and Andre learned how to offload brilliantly. I changed my mind watching him playing England…surely one should when presented with new evidence.

Elrigh is good but not close ...that's your provincial bias...don't worry, we all have the greater good at heart, but bias gets us all.

It’s pretty insulting thinking that those in favour of PSDT are guided by what the majority think - what a load of utter shit

We base our takes on him as a players on what we observe, not by the stats but by what we see.

The fact that the vast majority agree with our observations severs to back up our takes not fucking steer them

Geez catch a fucking wake up. PSDT is not a good player, he is an awesome one - that’s my opinion not what I fucking took from the majorities observations

"So nothing….Etzebeth made a telling contribution to our win over France, Snyman to our win over England. Forget the stats, which oddly show up for every other loosie, when did Dud make a vital contribution which won a big match….all that tackling against NZ would simply have been done by Mostert if Dud went off instead of him. I can’t think of once where he decided a test, odd for the best player in the world."

LOL...not even close.

"Elrigh is good but not close ...that's your provincial bias...don't worry, we all have the greater good at heart, but bias gets us all."

lol and what about Roos? As I recall, I mentioned him before Elrigh.

Cumon now...

PS Do you think I'm a Bulls fan?

So Pieter-Steph gets another award… this time from some French newspaper? Honestly, who gives a Fuck??

Let’s face it, he’s been decent, but nothing special this season.

Meanwhile, we’ve got players like Sacha the Alien winning games on his own, Nortje with his insane work rate, Esterhuisen bossing it at 12 and stepping up as a loosie, Wilco anchoring the scrum like a rock, Kolbe sparking real points, Kwagga our real fetcher always delivering when needed most and Jasper Wiese smashing through traffic like a freight train.

These are the guys making the real impact. The difference between winning and losing.

But no, media hype wins again. Blondie gets the glory because it fits the story.

It’s the same tired circus, no critical thinking, just groupie vibes and hero worship.

Sheep to the slaughter, nodding along because the headlines said so.

Some of us actually watch the games, not just read the headlines….

I think PSDT was lucky to win the WPOTY twice, but he deserved it fully...Both Eben and Thor were unlucky to miss out the 2 years they were strong contenders...last year was all PSDT with Cheslin a close second...and he must have been close in 2019 too.

I think Sacha will be a strong contender this year...

"PS Do you think I'm a Bulls fan?"

No, I know you are a Lions fan, but when it comes to the N/S derby, your bias is with the Bools...natural...and yes, I know you are bigger than mere petty provincialism, but if it's close, you will favour your bias...nothing wrong with it, I'm even worse...it's being a fan....and even sometimes when it isn't even close too...it's why it's called bias...