A five-minute compilation video showing all of the tackles made by Pieter-Steph du Toit for the Springboks in their Rugby World Cup final win over the All Blacks has revealed he actually made 29, not the 28 originally celebrated in the immediate wake of last weekend’s 12-11 victory in Paris.
In making 15 first-half tackles and 14 more in the second, player of the match du Toit tackled 12 different New Zealand players – with seven of the collisions stopping Jordie Barrett in his tracks.
This included twice tackling the All Blacks centre in the space of 23 second-half seconds on the South African 10-metre line either side of also tackling Brodie Retallick in a three-tackle burst at a time when skipper Siya Kolisi was in the sin bin after his yellow card.
Jacques Nienaber and Siya Kolisi speak about the Malmesbury Missile and his Man of the Match performance in the World Cup Final
The previous highest tackle record in a World Cup final was held by Richie McCaw, who made 18 in New Zealand’s 2011 win over France in Auckland.
At last weekend’s post-match briefing, Springboks boss Jacques Nienaber said about du Toit: “He was phenomenal. Defence is my department and he was exceptional. I must say in the last couple of games, he wanted it desperately. Not only him, but everyone wanted it desperately.
“He put himself in the right positions. I always joke that if there is a white plastic bag that blows over the field, he would probably chase that down as well. ‘The Malmesbury Missile’, he was like a machine.”
New Zealand players tackled by du Toit:
7 – Jordie Barrett; 4 – Ardie Savea; 3 – Brodie Retallick, Shannon Frizzell, Rieko Ioane, Scott Barrett; 1 – Richie Mo’unga, Will Jordan, Mark Telea, Ethan de Groot, Nepo Laulala, Samisoni Taukei’aho.
Du Toit’s tackle timeline:
First-half – 4 mins: Retallick on halfway; 5 mins: Retallick on NZ 10 metre; 10 mins: Mo’unga after catch outside NZ 22; 14 mins: J Barrett near halfway; 15 mins: J Barrett in SA 22; 16 mins: Frizzell 10 metres from try line; 16 mins: Frizzell 15 metres from try line; 21 mins: Ioane on SA 10 metre; 24 mins: Frizzell just inside halfway; 33 mins: Jordan inside NZ 22 after Cheslin Kolbe kick; 36 mins: Telea outside SA 22; 36 mins: Savea outside SA 22; 36 mins: S Barrett outside SA 22; 37 mins: Savea outside SA 22; 39 mins: J Barrett on NZ 10 metre where he lost the ball in contact.
Second-half – 41 mins: Ioane on NZ 22 carrying restart kick receipt; 47 mins: Savea on NZ 10 metre; 52 mins: S Barrett near SA try line; 53 mins: J Barrett on SA 10 metre; 54 mins: Retallick on SA 10 metre; 54 mins : J Barrett on SA 10 metre (3 tackles in a 23-second spell with Kolisi on a yellow card); 60 mins: Ioane in NZ 22 on restart kick receipt; 63 mins: de Groot outside SA 22; 64 mins: S Barrett outside SA 22; 68 mins: Savea on NZ 22; 69 mins: J Barrett on halfway; 69 mins: Laulala on halfway; 76 mins: J Barrett on NZ 22 after missed SA drop goal; 78 mins: Taukei’aho on NZ 22.
