Du Toit finding form in Japan: 'It is different from what I was used to'

Springbok Pieter-Steph du Toit is getting back to his best as he plies his trade in Japan's League One.

Serious leg and shoulder injuries saw the 2019 World Player of the Year go under the knife on multiple occasions and miss out on most of the Springboks' Tests over the last two seasons.

However, Du Toit is back on the park for Japanese club Toyota Verblitz and finding form, as evident by his man of the match performance against the Shining Arcs earlier in March.

"I am finding my feet again," the Rugby World Cup winner told Rapport.

"As always, I still have a lot to work on to become a better player. However, the Japanese league is very focused on attacking rugby. Because rugby here is still a fairly new thing among the spectators, they want to make it attractive to the public.

"It is different from what I was used to, and gives me the opportunity to adjust my game as I should."

Du Toit is also enjoying his time under former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, one of the most decorated coaches in rugby.

"Being part of the group where Steve is involved is a whole new experience for me. If you look at what he has achieved with the All Blacks, it goes without saying," Du Toit said of the 2015 RWC winning coach.

"Something I noticed is that Steve is focused on a good team culture. The players should be happy. Another thing that got a lot of focus this week is individual skills.

"What has also changed is the balance of our training sessions. Where it has always been 100% tempo, there is also more focus on 'clarity' ... what exactly is expected of each player."