Jacques Nienaber sang the praises of the “phenomenal” Pieter-Steph du Toit after his man-of-the-match performance in the Springboks’ World Cup triumph.
Du Toit put in an immense shift with no fewer than 28 completed tackles as the Springboks put bodies on the line to successfully defend a one-point lead against the All Blacks in the World Cup final on Saturday night.
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Pieter-Steph du Toit šš¤Æ
2ļøā£8ļøā£ Tackles
1ļøā£ Turnover won.
8ļøā£8ļøā£% Tackle Success.A colossal performance in the biggest match of his career š#StrongerTogether šæš¦ | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/jkQvgwV7Dm
ā SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 28, 2023
āHe was phenomenal. Defence is my department and he was exceptional,” Nienaber said.
“I must say in the last couple of games, he wanted it desperately. Not only him, but everyone wanted it desperately. He put himself in the right positions.
“I always joke that if thereās a white plastic bag that blows over the field, he would probably chase that down as well. ‘The Malmesbury Missileā, he was like a machine.ā
An evening he will never forget
Pieter-Steph du Toit is the @Mastercard #POTM #RWC2023 | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/wc0OB9kz66
ā Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 28, 2023
š§± Pieter-Steph du Toit made 2ļøā£8ļøā£ tackles in the #RWCFinal ! šæš¦ #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/5DbYtMeEao
ā SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) October 29, 2023
Du Toit is one of a plethora of Springboks who claimed their second successive World Cup gold medal.
“I guess as a team we like drama,” the Bok flanker said in the aftermath on Saturday night.
“We have had drama for the last few years. It helped us a lot as a team to get through the drama and cope with it and it shows the resilience of the team and the whole of South Africa.”
Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
