Interview: “There’s a huge amount of respect” - Pieter-Steph du Toit

On December 4th, Pieter-Steph du Toit, the two-time World Cup winner, rejoined Toyota Verblitz to prepare for the upcoming Japan Rugby League One 2023-2024 season alongside his two new All Blacks teammates, Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett.

- How was your first day back at training?

“It’s so nice to back to see all the familiar faces and see what the guy’s been up to. Today was quite a relaxed day, we just had some installs and clarity for all the players to prepare for this weekend’s game.”

- What’s it like to be teammates with Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett after playing agaisnt them at the RWC finals?

“It’s nice to be in the team with Aaron and Beauden. I’m definitely excited about the season, to be playing with them, and to see how they think differently about the game and what they bring to the game as well. As you know, they are top-quality internationals and human beings. This past few days I’ve spoken to them, and learned a lot from them as a person, so it’s nice to be a part of the team with them.”

- Aaron talked about how he’s "happy not to be chased down by Pieter" anymore…

“I guess I just have to do my job. He (Aaron Smith) reads the game and there are different skills as well. If you look at South Africa and New Zealand play against each other, there’s a huge amount of respect. So, I think the respect for each other is good. It’s going to be nice to see how they are performing as well.”

- Aaron’s really excited about how he gets to tell you who to go after…

“I’ll just tackle who has the ball (laughter). I think they managed the game quite well, so it’s going to be nice to see how we as a team perform this season.”