Thomas du Toit is refreshingly candid about the baggage he carries from 2019 and 2023 — a non-selection and an injury-replacement call-up that left him feeling he hadn't truly earned his spot. Now firmly established as first-choice tighthead, he wants 2027 to be different: selected on merit, no asterisks. His immediate priority is Bath's Premiership push before his move to the Sharks, which he frames as a family decision rather than a rugby one. The broader picture, though, is clear — he sees the Sharks as his platform to stay in Erasmus's frame and make Australia 2027 the World Cup he can genuinely call his own.
AnalysisSpringboksPlanet Rugby
Du Toit wants to earn his World Cup place — not inherit it
Du Toit opens up about feeling unworthy of his 2019 winner's medal and why 2027 is the World Cup he wants to earn outright — with Bath's Premiership run and his Sharks move both framed as steps toward that goal.
- Thomas du Toit
- Hollywoodbets Sharks
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
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