Two massive coastal derbies will be the focus in the South Section of the Vodacom Cup as all eight round two fixtures take place on Saturday afternoon.
First up at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban, the Cell C Sharks XV host DHL Western Province in a curtain-raiser to the Vodacom Super Rugby clash later that afternoon between the Cell C Sharks and the Reds.
Both these sides kicked off the Vodacom Cup with good wins last weekend as they aim to stamp their authority on the South Section.
Vodacom Cup Rising Star – Thomas du Toit (Cell C Sharks XV):
A former Western Province Coca-Cola Craven Week and SA Schools prop, Thomas du Toit decided to head north to Durban at the end of last season and has been rewarded by making his senior provincial debut for the Cell C Sharks XV in the Vodacom Cup last weekend.
At 18, Du Toit is one of the youngest players to ever play in the Vodacom Cup – he was born on 5 May 1995, which is less than two months before Francois Pienaar famously lifted the Webb Ellis Cup at Ellis Park in 1995. The Sharks had to get special clearance from SARU to be able to field Du Toit in senior competitions in line with the BokSmart requirements for young front rankers.
But even though the young prop is a big unit at 1.87m tall and over 120kg, he is very mobile and fast. In fact, Du Toit reminds one a lot of one of the stars of the 1995 Springbok side, loosehead prop Os du Randt, who went on to play 80 Tests for South Africa between 1994 and 2007.
And it was probably the similarities in size and mobility between Du Toit and Du Randt, who was coached by the Cell C Sharks’ Director of Rugby Jake White at the Boks from 2004 to 2007, that saw the young prop make the KwaZulu-Natalians’ wider Vodacom Super Rugby squad.
Du Toit went to Paarl Boys’ High School, a famous prop factory who produced the likes of Gurthrö Steenkamp and Frans Malherbe in recent years, and in the previous century front rankers such as Piet “Spiere” du Toit, whose grandson is Pieter-Steph du Toit, as well as brothers Boy and Fanie Louw.
Last weekend in the Cell C Sharks XV’s Vodacom Cup opener against the Border Bulldogs in East London, Du Toit was sent on as a replacement shortly after the break – and he got his first try at senior level 14 minutes later.
He is eligible for the South African Under-20 team this year and in 2015 and looks set to make a big mark in Durban in the coming months, where he will no doubt learn heaps from the Cell C Sharks’ three Springbok props in Tendai Mtawarira, Jannie du Plessis and Lourens Adriaanse.
Round 2 fixtures – Saturday, 15 March:
- Golden Lions vs Valke. Kick-off: 12h40 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Referee – Christie du Preez
- GWK Griquas vs Down Touch Griffons. Kick-off: 14h00 at GWK Park, Kimberley. Referee – Oregopotse Rametsi
- Cell C Sharks XV vs DHL Western Province. Kick-off: 14h30 at Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban. Referee – Jaco van Heerden
- EP Kings vs Border Bulldogs. Kick-off: 15h00 at Great Field, Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Referee – Pro Legoete
- Steval Pumas vs Vodacom Blue Bulls. Kick-off: 15h00 at Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. Referee – Tahla Ntshakaza
- Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls vs Leopards XV. Kick-off: 15h00 at Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane. Referee – Gerrie du Bruyn
- Regent Boland Cavaliers vs Toyota Free State XV. Kick-off: 16h00 at Wesbank, Malmesbury. Referee – Quinton Immelman
- Tusker Simba XV vs SWD Eagles. Kick-off: 16h45 at City Park, Cape Town. Referee – Stephan Geldenhuys
