Pieter-Steph du Toit says “actions speak louder than words” on his now famous pep talk for the Springboks during the 2023 World Cup semi-final against England.
One of the standout performers throughout South Africa’s title defence in France, Du Toit kept his best for last and produced arguably his most impressive performance in a Bok jersey against the All Blacks in the final, making an astonishing 28 tackles.
His overall output at the tournament included 66 tackles, 94 run metres, 18 carries, three clean breaks and a try.
But, during the semi-final, with the Boks trailing 12-6 at half time, Du Toit delivered an impromptu, passionate chat that became a pivotal moment in the campaign.
Captured by Chasing the Sun 2 cameras, Du Toit’s speech reflected his concern about being a role model and the unexpected situation of not having a clear plan in the change room.
Standing up amidst the silence, ‘The Malmesbury Missile’ he urged his teammates to decide if they were scared or ready to fight, emphasising the need for unity. Despite being someone who typically lets actions speak, Du Toit’s words sparked a necessary energy shift.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Jim Hamilton on RugbyPass TV, Du Toit appreciated Rassie Erasmus recognising the importance of his intervention.
“When I first saw the commercial and it had that speech, I was like ‘oh no’. Because in South Africa you want to be a role model for children as well, and you don’t want to swear on live television, you don’t want to do certain stuff. That’s not good,” Du Toit said.
“I told my mates, I just hope that they (Chasing the Sun 2 producers) give the whole context behind what really happened. And as you can see, they kind of did.
“What’s going on is something I haven’t experienced in a changeroom. We always go into a changeroom, we’ve got plans. This is working, this is not working. Let’s do this, let’s not do this.
“Rassie came in, said what he had to say, took the reserves into a room next door. I was just looking around and the coaches were standing behind a table on that side, and everyone was just sitting there. This is not what we are used to.
“This is not our system that’s going on. We’ve got to make plans, that’s what we normally do. We make a plan and discuss what’s going on.”
“It wasn’t planned, it was just something that came up, and [I] said stuff.
“I don’t really talk that much,” Du Toit added. “I’m a strong believer in ‘actions speak louder than words’. The way you perform on the field or the way you live your life must tell your story – ‘okay, these are the morals of this guy’. And if you can do that, nothing has to be said.
“You can see everyone standing there, like even Jacques [Nienaber] was… I don’t think anyone… We were so shocked at what was going on. We were experiencing our game plan forced on us, and we couldn’t handle it.
“And you just look around and everyone is sitting down. No one is talking. There’s no energy and no vibe, and that’s what we’re about. We have to come together and create a vibe, create energy, and go on to the next job. That’s always our motto, ‘focus on the next job’.
“Rassie of course, the next day, we had a meeting. And he just showed it on the projector and he said, ‘This guy understands’. And I’m very grateful for that.”
Photo: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
