Some journeys are not as direct as most. In modern rugby development terms, elevation via the club rugby ranks is rare. It is, because of its meandering route, more satisfying as it develops.
Topically and perhaps the best example of the indirect route to the very top of the game is Scotland’s Huw Jones, who shone for his country against the Springboks at Murrayfield on Saturday.
The now-veteran outside half launched his career while on a gap year in Cape Town, stooging at Bishops in Rondebosch. He first ran out for the False Bay under-20 team in 2012, and in 2013 burst onto the scene in Kevin Musikanth’s successful False Bay campaign. That year he was playing outside flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis and the pair went on to star in Ikey’s winning 2014 Varsity Cup Championship.
As the cliché goes, the rest is history. Jones went on to play for the Stormers and Scotland and Catrakilis’s own playing path gilt-edged.
The Varsity Cup now beckons another talented player whose path also follows a more meandering route. Wynberg Old Boy and exciting Motorvaps False Bay utility forward, Josh du Toit, embarks on the next phase of his rugby career as he joins the University of Johannesburg Varsity Cup squad for their VC2025 campaign.
What sets Du Toit aside from the Jones comparison is his almost journeyman-like route to this point in his career.
This 1.9m, solidly built dynamo, first played the game in grade one at Fish Hoek Primary School. Initially vertically challenged in comparison to his adult stature, Du Toit filled the number 10 shirt for his school, his summer sport of water polo ensuring his strength developed along with his frame.
Through his water polo prowess, he headed off to Wynberg Boys’ High, following in Dad Don’s footsteps.
The likeable young man was still a part-time rugby player, playing at hooker before settling down on the side of the scrum.
Further differentiating Du Toit’s back story, is that he only had one start for the Wynberg Boys’ High School First XV. Yes, he’s a “Covid-kid”; that group of students whose lives were disrupted by lockdown and the suspension of sport, which in his case robbed him of development time. Nevertheless, he did earn several First XV caps, all but the last one being off the bench. This distinction added a new dimension to the uniqueness of his development. Water polo was still his main sport, and he would not have been excused if he hung his barely used boots up after school.
Instead, he joined a Motorvaps False Bay and immediately began to shine in his new environment. A natural leader, together with his athletic ability and commitment to training and preparation, Du Toit found himself in the sight of Ashley Wells, the Bay’s First XV head coach.
Wells, himself a Varsity Cup veteran, hand-blooded some promising young under-20 players, involving them at senior practices. This flank cum lock offered Wells a tough, energetic option who could outjump most in the lineout.
The Bay enjoyed a successful SLA2024 season, its first XV ending mid-table; the Seconds taking league honours and the Thirds and under-21s both top three finishers.
It is no stretch to mention the youngster’s role in the spirit on the field, his attitude, warmth and humour, an influence on those around him. This will surely impress UJ’s head coach, Jonathan Mokuena, who surely noticed these traits when encountering Du Toit.
“I am a very positive person. I never give up on my goals. I consider myself a people’s person and thrive in a team environment,” said the young man.
“I am a self-disciplined person and understand that it takes hard work and sacrifice to attain your goals,” he said.
Du Toit is fully aware of what it takes to succeed at the level he now enters. He knows his talent and is aware of shortcomings and areas of his game requiring improvement. In a quote, which is so typical of this energetic and modest man, one which flies in the face of his modesty, he confidently ends, “I am extremely confident in what I am capable of, regardless of the opinion of others”.
To know this man is to know just how amped he is to fully use this opportunity. Don’t be surprised to see him progress beyond the ranks of Varsity Cup like so many outstanding players before him.
While Du Toit’s departure leaves a void at the Philip Herbstein fields, he departs with the blessing of the club. His performances will be monitored with pride and passion. Most will be hoping that the man continues his meteoric development and can deliver on his rugby potential.
