Check out our biggest moments from the past weekend of Autumn international rugby which saw Pieter-Steph du Toit named World Rugby Player of the Year, the Boks bash Wales and more!
PSDT officially named world’s best yet again
Pieter-Steph du Toit was on Sunday named the World Rugby Player of the Year for a second time following his previous win in 2019. The legendary loose forward beat out Ireland skipper Caelan Doris and teammates Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe – the latter of whom being just as deserving of the prize.
The honour comes after another vintage season in green and gold for du Toit and sees the 32-year-old become just the fourth player to win the award multiple times. Beauden Barrett (2016, 2017) is the only other player to have won twice, while Dan Carter (2005, 2012, 2015) and Richie McCaw (2006, 2009, 2010) have been awarded three apiece.
An all-time great 🇿🇦
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) November 24, 2024
Pieter-Steph Du Toit is the 2024 Men's 15s Player of the Year #WorldRugbyAwards pic.twitter.com/LdFdp0C8xX
Stats paint a picture in Boks’ domination of Wales
The statistics behind the Springboks’ 45-12 thumping of Wales in Cardiff make for some wild reading. It was clear on Saturday for all and sundry just how far ahead of the Dragons Rassie Erasmus’ men are but when glancing at the numbers from the Principality Test match, things get even plainer.
The Boks enjoyed 61% of both territory and possession compared to Wales’ 39%, while winning six of their hosts’ nine scrums and six of the eight awarded to them. On attack, the double world champs made more passes (209 to 73), offloads (20 to two), metres (621 to just 84) and clean breaks (15 to one) than their opposition, with Aphelele Fassi making more metres alone (93) than Wales’ entire team. The Dragons were also forced to make as many as 216 tackles (missing 46 of them) compared to the Boks’ 92 (six missed).
Looking at those stats, and following what was their 12th loss on the bounce, it may just be worth the Welsh Rugby Union biting the bullet and paying Warren Gatland out the £1 million needed to terminate his contract. The national side is in desperate need of some fresh ideas.
Jordan’s freakish try-scoring continues
Will Jordan’s try against Italy on the weekend brought his overall tally to 38, making him the outright eighth highest try-scorer in All Blacks history, having now overtaken teammate Rieko Ioane as well as the great Jonah Lomu (37 each). Jordan has played in just 41-Tests (compared to Ioane’s 80 and Lomu’s 63), with his international try-scoring rate currently at 0.93 – the best in the team’s history.
If he continues at the rate he’s going, we will surely see the 26-year-old Crusader overtake Doug Howlett (49-tries in 62-Tests) at the top of the Kiwi charts before long, while he may even have Daisuke Ohata’s all-time Test record of 69 in his sights before long.
Just before halftime against Italy, Will Jordan scores his 38th try, overtaking the iconic Jonah Lomu in the all-time All Blacks' top try scorers list🔥#rugby #ITAvNZL pic.twitter.com/XBfhHfE8jJ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 23, 2024
