Pieter-Steph du Toit: The World Cup Final, a Modern Day Warrior... a Springbok Legend

Jim (0:00)

On this episode, I am joined by one of the very best in the business. He's a modern day warrior. He's a great Springbok. The wonderful Pieter-Steph du Toit.

Pieter-Steph du Toit (0:09)

This is The Big Jim Show.

Jim (0:56)

We're in Japan, Pieter, this is your second home, this is your new home, your forever home.

Pieter-Steph du Toit (1:02)

Yeah, it's home away from home.

Jim (1:03)

Home away from home.

Pieter-Steph du Toit (1:04)

Yeah, it's a wonderful opportunity I've got to be able to come to Japan. It's a place I've been wanting to experience after the 2019 World Cup, coming here the first time. And then you've got to look at yourself and think about the bigger picture as well. If you want to align the two seasons, an international season and a Japanese League One season, it works perfectly hand to hand in each other. They're liable to be able to go play for the national team. And that's the thing about the Japanese. They support you 100 percent. Or my club, Teotihuah Blitz, support me 100 percent on where I want to go and what I want to do in both sides. So when I'm here, I'm committed 100 percent to the club. And then when I'm at the Springboks, they'll support me 100 percent that side as well.

Jim (1:44)

Yeah, that's so cool because it's a big ass now, isn't it, to go to Europe and play. There's a lot of games to play financially. Yes, we're seeing lads like Jordy Barrett go and do a small sabbatical. But the appeal of playing in Japan, less games, more money, like these things in rugby. Can you see where the pull is for the very best players in the world like yourself to come to Japan and potentially not over to Europe now?

Pieter-Steph du Toit (2:09)

I think, like I said, the Europe season is really long.

You play double the amount of games you play in Japan. So that plays a role as well. And that you have the opportunity to play for your country as well. So there's not even, there might not be problems with the clubs wanting you not to play. Because sometimes you get that or you get injured that side. You have to, you can't play this side. So all those kind of stuff plays a role in the decision. But of course, financially plays a big role. If you look at play per minutes, it's in Japan, it's a good start and a good stepping stone for furthering your career and looking after yourself. Because the end of the day, rugby is only a small part of your life and your career comes to an end and you've got to make sure you're able to live after that as well. Be a father to your family, to your children as well. So that plays a big role in the decision.

Jim (3:00)

Tough sport, toughest sport on the planet, I would say, and I'm looking at it because I'm watching you pitch side, I'm watching the games from the World Cup pitch side, and the commercial financial reward doesn't marry up. I know it's different when you talk about NFL and you talk about NBA and UFC, other contact sports as well. And I wanted to go down this route because of your injury profile. I know it's something that you've told before, but maybe just give us an idea of what your body's been through. Go from head to toe.

The headline one was?

Pieter-Steph du Toit (3:32)

From the time I was born or since I've played rugby?

Jim (3:35)

Let's go from when you picked up a rugby ball, but like when it got serious.

Pieter-Steph du Toit (3:39)

Yeah, the first big rugby incident I had was compartment syndrome and it was my matric here. And I got a knock against the leg in the previous game, played, finished the game. That week went to school, started getting better. And I got a knock from a knee against the quad. Yeah, from there it just got worse and worse. And that night I had to went in for emergency operation. And they opened it and released the pressure. So that was the first time. And then 2011 ankle injury, 2012 ankle injury.

Jim (4:07)

What do you mean injury?

Pieter-Steph du Toit (4:09)

Syndesmosis.

Jim (4:10)

Okay.

Pieter-Steph du Toit (4:10)

So I had to put wires in both ankles. And then 2013 I cracked my sternum.

Jim (4:14)

That's sore.

Pieter-Steph du Toit (4:15)

Yeah, probably.

Jim (4:16)

That's a bad one, hey. I've done that before.

Pieter-Steph du Toit (4:17)

Yeah, so my mother, we were just about to leave for Super Rugby Tour, and my mother came to watch our last game, and she wanted to give me a hug after the game. It was like, it didn't happen at one spot. It was getting worse and worse and worse, and then just broke at the end. But she wanted to come and give me a hug. I was like, oh no. She said, listen, something wrong. It's impossible to feel this amount of pain after a game.