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Ulster linked with versatile South African prop - reports

Thomas du Toit could be set for his second spell in Ireland (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Ulster have made a splash this summer, adding the likes of Sam Carter, Matt Faddes and Jack McGrath to their squad as head coach Dan McFarland attempts to turn the province into a consistent contender in the Guinness PRO14 and Heineken Champions Cup titles.

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McFarland also added former Worcester Warriors prop Gareth Milasinovich, although the tighthead has been ruled out for a number of months with a cruciate ligament injury. That is something which could leave Ulster short up front.

The province have been boosted by loosehead McGrath not making Ireland’s World Cup squad due to the impressive form of Dave Kilcoyne, but their stocks at tighthead are likely to be tested come the beginning of the season.

According to BBC Sport, Ulster are trying to bring Springbok Thomas du Toit – a 24-year-old capable of playing both sides of the scrum – in as cover during the World Cup.

Initially a loosehead, du Toit transitioned across to the tighthead in the second year of his under-20 eligibility and has since gone on to impress at the position for the Sharks, Munster and the South African national team.

(Continue reading below…)

He has won 10 caps for the Springboks, with nine appearances off the bench in 2018, before making his first start for the side last month against Argentina in Pretoria.

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Although the Cape Town native was tipped for inclusion due to his versatility at the set-piece, the former Western Province youth representative missed out on selection for the World Cup and is now believed to be looking for a short-term move to Europe as a result.

If he winds up in Belfast, he would follow in the footsteps of Damian Willemse, who recently agreed to a short-term move to Saracens as injury cover for Alex Goode and Max Malins. Should the move go ahead, du Toit will find himself in a competition with the likes of Marty Moore and Tom O’Toole for the tighthead jersey at Kingspan Stadium.

WATCH: The RugbyPass stadium guide to Yokohama where South Africa will open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand  

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Flankly 1 hour ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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