Given the crap I read on here, I thought it best I check the reality of how he played. Feel free to contradict any of my takes here, but my first impression when I watched the game live was that he had a very good game and my second viewing verified that, in fact it confirmed he was the best lock on the field by some distance.
I heard rubbish that he had been tossed around like a rag doll - yeah right, he gets taken out twice - not by individuals but once by the two Potgieters and the second time by Ndungane and JJ, after initially carrying them forward - but I guess the individual who said he got tossed about, expected him to take on two players at once and beat them????
Anyway here are the facts about Steph du Toit's play for the visually impaired Moz and Beenkop:
In minute 1 he drives Greyling back in a maul
In 3rd min takes a great line out ball, first line-out of match
In 5th min takes pass and runs straight through Morne and is then flattened by both Potgieters together - great hit by them
In 7th min gets ball out wide runs into Ndunagne and JJ moving them backwards and they manage to get him down into touch
In 8th min joins maul and drives poor Bismark with interest through the maul, great physicality
In 10th min joins maul again near Bulls line, very physical again
In 14th min brushes Hougaard off like a rag doll at side of maul when Hougaard tries to hold onto him
In 16th min Hougaard steps him well as he does a few others, including Bresler missing a straight tackle on Hougaard
In 20th min he assits Coetzee on a charge driving through W Kruger
In 26th min he assits Coetzee again on the charge
In 27th min makes a good low tackle on J Potgieter
In 28th min tackles Chiliboy
In 29th min takes ball at pace runs well and is tackled low by D Potgieter
In 31st min takes kick off ball well and runs straight through W. Kruger - picks up injury to shin when taking the kick off (he should have gone off here but soldiered on through the pain as limped around for the rest of the time he was on the field)
In 33rd min joins maul and wins ball back, goes down injured, has leg checked and seen to.
In 36th min he tackles Greyling
In 37th min he flings Kirchner down in tackle
In 38th min he runs into Greyling and Morne, Greyling rips ball off him.
Kid is in clear agony and goes off having stayed on for last 8 min injured.
The kid had a good physical half lending grunt to mauls and a massively dominant scrum - so much for being tossed about, missing a tackle (wow Hougaard stepped him as he does most). His only negative was having that ball ripped off him by Greyling, when Greyling and Morne had him, this when the kid was clearly in agony and limping about.
This kid has a bright future and has Bok written all over him. Ah yeah apparently he is a bean pole, had to laugh at that as well, seeing the massive lad running around. If 2m and 117kg constiutes a bean pole at age 19, I'd hate to see what constitues a bulky player. Can see exactly why Meyer invited him to the Bok training camp. This kid and Eben Etzebeth could prove a better combo than Bakkies and Matfield, they will provide better all round skills and grunt, they wont match Matfield in the line-outs though.
They are both very exciting prospects and given they are only 19 and 20, still have some growing to do.....Eben will end up being 125kg +, Steph du Toit 120kg +
