Thomas du Toit is not underestimating Munster Rugby, despite his former club coming into this weekend’s clash with Bath Rugby at The Rec on the back of a highly costly league defeat.
Bath Rugby prop Thomas du Toit at the club’s pre-Investec Champions Cup Round 1 press conference, held on Wednesday 3rd December | Photo © Bath Rugby
The giant prop turned out for the Irish side during the 2016-17 season – but he is now an integral part of the Bath team, his performances for the Blue, Black & White and South Africa earning him a place in the World Rugby Dream Team of the Year that was announced last week.
Although Munster missed out on the United Rugby Championship leadership by losing 27-21 at home to DHL Stormers on Saturday 29th November, du Toit acknowledged their undoubted quality when he spoke to the media ahead of Bath’s Investec Champions Cup Round 1 encounter with The Red Army.
At the press conference on Wednesday 3rd December, the 30-year-old said: “It’s the competition that everyone wants to be involved with, playing against the best of the best, and try to match that physicality and match that tempo of the game.
“And it feels like every club becomes a different animal when we reach this competition. So lots to look forward to.
“Every game is going to be an important game. The most important thing is taking it step by step, using every game as a stepping stone to the next.
“From spending time with Munster and having watched them over the years, they’re a team that are very good at adapting to their conditions and their situations.
“And I think they’re a team that can rectify things [following their loss to Stormers] within a week.
“They’ve got the type of players, the type of personalities there that want to fix things and want to better themselves and the team.
“As for us, we want to stick to our processes. We find the scrum a very important aspect in our game. We’ll do the best that we can on Saturday.”
The Tank, as he is nicknamed, will be leaving Bath at the end of the season to return to South Africa – but he is relishing every moment of his remaining time with the Blue, Black & White.
He said: “For me personally, it’s always been about being the best myself that I can be in the place that I am.
“I’m definitely not wishing away the time. I want to really grab all of every second that I’ve got here.
“I’m really excited to have this opportunity to play for Bath still, and I’m going to make the most of it.
“[Deciding to leave the club at the end of this season] was incredibly difficult. It’s a family decision above all else. Making the most of my time here is going to be crucial for me.”
Du Toit highlighted how being a Bath player gives him clear boundaries between his work life and private life.
He said: “The nice difference that we get as rugby players, when we leave [Bath’s training base] Farleigh House, when we leave the training field and facilities, I’ve got a fantastic family, a wife and two kids, that take my attention completely away from rugby to give me that kind of mental break that I need every day.
“So mentally it’s nice to switch on when we’re at Farleigh and when we’re playing, but it’s nice to have a nice switch-off when I go home, and having my wife’s and kids’ support on that is all I need for a mental break.
“Johann [van Graan, Bath’s head of rugby] was kind enough to give me a couple of weeks off in February to completely recharge and then it feels like my season starts [again] in February, March.
“I’m very, very happy for this situation that I’m in and grateful just to play.”
Of being named at tighthead in World Rugby’s Dream Team of the Year, du Toit said: “I appreciate it, I think it’s a very, very big compliment.
“But I really prefer the opinions of the people closer to me – so my coaches, my team-mates, my wife, my dad, the people that really know me and see me outside of rugby. And when they say the same things, it’s a very nice compliment. I appreciate it, it’s fantastic and I’ll take it. But those opinions are the ones that really matter to me.”
Meanwhile, van Graan has described Bath’s British & Irish Lions and Scotland fly-half Finn Russell as one of the best players he has ever seen.
At the pre-Munster press conference, van Graan said: “The amazing thing about Finn, he’s so unique, the way his attitude rubs off on the team, that’s why it’s a team. We take the best out of every single individual and then we amalgamate it all together in what we’ve got as a group.
“So you’ve just got to look at his big moments on the weekend [against Saracens in the Gallagher PREM on Sunday 30th November], the backflip to Joe [Cokanasiga], the vision he had to give both [key] passes – one to [Josh] Bayliss and the other one to Max [Ojomoh] – he’s one of the best players that I’ve ever seen play this game, and one of the most unique.
“We’re very lucky and grateful to have him in our team – as we are for around 59 other individuals.”
