Last stop, Kings Park: Thomas the Tank braces for emotional exit ... once the Munster job is done

Departing Sharks prop Thomas du Toit said he's been using the last two weeks to process his impending exit at the only professional franchise he's played for in South Africa.

Du Toit, who arrived from the Cape as a teenaged loose-head prop in 2014, will play his last home game at Kings Park, against Munster on Saturday, as the Sharks' URC play-off matches will be on the road.

Upon his arrival in Durban nearly ten years ago, Du Toit, aka The Tank, made the shift to tight-head as a certain Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira was the first-choice loosehead prop at the Sharks at the time. The rest, as they say, is history.

The No 3, 134kg at last weigh in, departs as a seasoned tight-head prop with 13 Bok Tests and a 2019 World Cup winner's medal under his belt.

All good things do eventually come to an end and Du Toit acknowledged the emotional difficulty of parting with surroundings that he's always called home.

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The forthright 27-year-old admitted that while nearly a decade of playing his rugby at the Shark Tank in Durban has come to an end, the Sharks still have the significant matter of a crucial match they need to win and one he needs to contribute to.

"Last week, it (the realisation) definitely settled a bit because I realised that a decade spent here is coming to an end," Du Toit said.

"It's a union I've been loyal to for a long time that I've been here, so it's sinking in. I'm definitely emotional, but an exciting time in our lives is waiting.

"On the one hand, it's hurting a little bit, but on the other side, it’s exciting. You're a bit naïve if you don't think about it and work through those emotions.

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