Players Who Matter In Bath Rugby Vs. Lyon: Springboks Star Thomas Du Toit
Players Who Matter In Bath Rugby Vs. Lyon: Springboks Star Thomas Du Toit
Springboks prop Thomas du Toit leads Bath into the EPCR Challenge Cup Final vs. Lyon, bringing power, precision and an incredible try-scoring record.
When Bath Rugby clashes with Lyon in the 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup Final at the Principality Stadium on May 23, all eyes will be on a Springboks prop whose try-scoring exploits defy his position — Thomas du Toit.
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Nicknamed “The Tank,” du Toit has bulldozed his way into Premiership folklore with a remarkable 19 tries in 41 appearances for Bath — a tally that outstrips his combined total from 181 club appearances elsewhere.
The 29-year-old, born in Cape Town on May 5, 1995, joined Bath following the 2023 Rugby World Cup and has since been a revelation in blue, black and white.
Du Toit’s impact has been immediate and emphatic.
Named to the 2023-2024 Premiership Rugby Team of the Season, he helped drive Bath to silverware in the Premiership Rugby Cup final with a typically powerful score against Exeter — his seventh of the season.
“I’ve never been in a position where I expect to be scoring tries,” du Toit said when talking to RugbyPass “But the coaches at Bath have taught me the art of scoring close to the line, and it has become part of my game.”
A product of Paarl Boys' High, du Toit represented South Africa at youth levels before turning heads in the 2014 and 2015 Junior World Championships.
He made his senior debut with the Sharks in 2014, had stints with Munster and Toulouse and earned his Springboks call-up during the 2019 World Cup — going on to lift the Webb Ellis trophy.
Though primarily a scrummager, his ability to convert pick-and-go pressure into points has become a Bath hallmark. Their 301 pick-and-go carries this season highlight a brutally efficient approach, with du Toit often the battering ram at the tip of the spear.
He’s even leapfrogged several backs in the try-scoring charts, with only Tom de Glanville and Ruaridh McConnochie ahead of him this season.
Still, the modest prop insists, “I just want to play well for the team. If tries come, they come.”
On May 23, du Toit once again will anchor the Bath pack against a powerful Lyon side — live on FloRugby — and fans can expect more than just scrummaging from the Springboks juggernaut. With form, confidence, and try-scoring instinct on his side, "The Tank" is ready to roll.
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