VIDEO: Pieter-Steph's brutal verdict of his own game
Hard as nails Springbok flank Pieter-Steph du Toit is arguably the best loose forward in the world, but he remains hard on himself after each game.
He asks himself if he did enough.
Du Toit earned his 84th cap in the final round of the Rugby Championship at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday and produced a starring performance after two spectacular tries in the 48-7 rout of Los Pumas.
The question is whether the man can get any better, but he says he never stops questioning whether he put enough into a Test match.
"The main thing that I do after a game is look myself in the mirror and ask myself if have I emptied the tank," Du Toit said.
"If I made mistakes, in our team it doesn’t matter as long as I give 100 percent.
"If you sit in the changing room and think: 'I could’ve done this, I could’ve done that, I could’ve run a bit harder or tackled a bit harder', then you know it’s not what you want at the end of the day," the flank told reporters during the post-match press conference.
"Naturally you want to do well constantly.
"We’ve lost two games this year but we have the opportunity to keep growing and bringing in new players and unearthing new talent.
"An injury happens so quickly and then you are not here anymore.
"It remains a team sport.
"If the team is not doing well, the individuals will not be doing well either.
"For me, the award is a bonus on a day when our goal was to win the Rugby Championship,” he said.
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The Springboks have used Du Toit in the wider channels more, similar to what the Lions did a few years ago with Jaco Kriel, and according to the flank, he loves the role of being the ball carrier on the outskirts.
"I enjoy it. I always thought that was how I would see myself playing," he said.
Du Toit expressed the importance of consistency and focus as the team prepares for their November tour.
"We would like to finish the season on a high. We have the opportunity to continue growing with the squad's core and ride the winning momentum.”
"We will do everything in our power to ride the wave as long as possible."
The Bok flank and his wife Willemien welcomed their third child earlier in the month, a girl named Lienke, and Du Toit said he was looking forward to having some family time.
The couple already have two other children, Christi (2) and Pieter Stephanus (5).
- Picture credit: Johan Orton media
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