Springbok prop Thomas du Toit will provide the finish for Bath in their EPCR Challenge Cup final against Lyon in Cardiff on Friday night. He is one of four South Africans in action.
Former Springboks No 8 Arno Botha will start for Lyon, while former Stormer and Ireland lock Quinn Roux wears the No 4 jersey for Bath.
Former Springboks assistant coach Johann van Graan, coach of Bath, has named three South African-born players in his match 23.
VAN GRAAN’S RISE FROM BULLS MAN CHILD TO BATH BOSS
Botha is the only South African in the Lyon match-day squad.
Friday night will be Du Toit’s 25th match of the season, with him having played 22 for Bath and two for the Springboks on the 2024 end of year tour. He has started 11 of the 22 for Bath and both Tests for the Springboks and averages 46 minutes a match for Bath (in the 2024/25 season) and 45 mins for the Boks last November.
He has scored eight tries for Bath this season and he scored one in his two November Bok Tests.
In the 2023/24 season, Du Toit played 26 matches for Bath, of which he started 17, averaged 52 minutes a game and scored 12 tries. His 20 tries for Bath in the past two seasons is a remarkable statistic, given he is a prop.
Du Toit also started four Test matches for the Boks in 2024, to take his season match tally to 30.
Friday evening will be his 55th match in the past two seasons and he will add to that tally in the Premiership play-offs and Premiership Rugby Cup play-offs in June.
Du Toit’s on-field action on Friday will take his match tally to 95 matches in the last four seasons for Bath (two seasons), the Durban-based Sharks (two seasons) and the Springboks (four seasons).
In his first four seasons as a professional player he made 42 appearances and he has more than doubled that in his most recent four seasons.
One of Du Toit’s greatest attributes is his ability to play loose head and tight head prop, and he has played regularly on both sides for Bath and the Springboks.
Du Toit, a product of Paarl Boys High in the Western Cape, is 30 years-old and has played 23 Tests for the Springboks.
- Sharks (2013 – 2016)
- Munster Rugby (2016 – 2016)
- Sharks (2016 – 2016)
- Munster Rugby (2017 – 2017)
- Sharks (2017 – 2019)
- Stade Toulousain (2019 – 2019)
- Sharks (2019 – 2019)
- Stade Toulousain (2020 – 2020)
- Sharks (2020 – 2023)
- Bath Rugby (2023 – 2025)
Substitutes: 16. Niall Annett, 17. Francois van Wyk, 18. Thomas du Toit, 19. Ross Molony, 20. Guy Pepper, 21. Tom Carr-Smith, 22. Ciaran Donoghue, 23. Alfie Barbeary
LYON OLYMPIQUE UNIVERSITAIRE
Substitutes: 16. Guillaume Marchand, 17. Hamza Kaabeche, 18. Irakli Aptsiauri, 19. Félix Lambey, 20. Liam Allen, 21. Maxime Gouzou, 22. Martin Page-Relo, 23. Martin Meliande
Src: keo.co.za
