Recent world player of the year makes Japan switch
Japanese club Toyota Verblitz have announced the signing of two big name international stars.
These are headed by South Africa flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit who is joined at the Japan League One (formerly Top League) outfit by All Black second row Patrick Tuipulotu.
Both players will join the Aichi-based club which is coached by former All Black boss Steve Hansen for a season which runs from January to May.
2019 World Rugby player-of-the-year du Toit is currently recovering from an operation on an injured shoulder.
He hopes to be fit for the Springboks’ Autumn Series test matches against Wales, Scotland and England which take place in November.
“It is a privilege to be part of the team and I hope to justify the faith put in me by giving my very best on and off the field,” du Toit said in a statement.
The 29-year-old back-rower who has more than 50 South Africa caps to his name has played for Cape Town based Super Rugby franchise the Stormers since 2016.
This followed a spell in England with the Sale Sharks.
Powerhouse lock Tuipulotu has won 38 All Black caps since making his debut against England in 2014. His first international start came later in the same year against the USA.
The 28-year-old 6ft 6 second rower who weighs 120kg has also been part of the Blues franchise since 2014. He has also captained Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup.
“I am very happy to be joining Toyota Verblitz, and hope I can add value and assist Toyota in their goal of being the best club in Japan,” he said.
“It will be pleasing to see some familiar faces at the club… I am looking forward to my time in Japan and I am very grateful for this opportunity.”
?2021????????????
New signing for the up coming 2021-2022 season.????????????
Pieter Steph du Toit (LO/FL)?????????????
Patrick Tuipulotu (LO)?????https://t.co/VppHghF6LZ pic.twitter.com/nVgAOjNluN
— ?????????? TOYOTA VERBLITZ (@toyotaverblitz) September 6, 2021
Japan’s domestic competition was badly hit by Covid-19 in 2020 then reformatted for 2021 when Toyota finished second in the red conference.
They then progressed through two knock-out rounds before losing in the semi-final to eventual champions Wild Knights.
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
2 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments