Bok backrower Dixon has tracked PSDT’s moves

Ben-Jason Dixon will have huge boots to fill when the Springboks go toe-to-toe with the All Blacks in their Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Pieter-Steph du Toit, who has had to move to lock to fill a position vacated Eben Etzebeth, isn’t just a double Rugby World Cup-winner but a player who has come to represent the pulse and energy of a team in relentless pursuit of improvement.

More than that, it can be argued Du Toit has set the standard for blindside flankers across the globe. His performance in the World Cup final — the last time the Springboks met the All Blacks — was simply mesmerising. Du Toit was in perpetual motion as he went on a crusade to make life as difficult as possible for the opposition.

“I watched that game over, a couple of times, specifically what Pieter-Steph did,” admitted Dixon, who will wear the No 7 jersey, with Etzebeth earmarked to slot in at lock when he emerges from the substitutes bench, allowing Du Toit to revert to his regular position. “My game is not exactly the same as his,” Dixon said.

“We will be on the field at the same time. We have different roles. I have learnt a lot from him. It gives me a lot of confidence to have a player like Pieter-Steph on the field.”

The Stormers’ backrower has looked the part in the three Tests he has played for the Boks this year. In fact, every step the 26-year-old has taken up the rugby rung, has been with aplomb. Much of his reputation has been built around being an uncompromising bruiser in the collisions, whether with the ball, or not.

A tireless work rate aligned with sharp line-out and handling skills have, perhaps, made Dixon the closest there is to a Du Toit/Etzebeth hybrid.

As much as there is plenty to try to duplicate from Du Toit’s game, Dixon has also drawn inspiration for Etzebeth. “Something that stood out for me from a conversation I had with him in the first couple of weeks with the Boks was when I asked him how he got up for games, his hunger, competitiveness and his desire to win,” Dixon explained.

“He said as he plays and gets more experience, he gets hungrier to win and more passionate about winning matches. He wears his heart on his sleeve and you can see it in the way he celebrates small moments and big moments to get a win. You feed off that energy and his passion to give his best.”

With an injury cloud hanging over Etzebeth this week, Dixon was named as blindside flank but also earmarked to cover lock. With Etzebeth declared fit to take a spot on the bench at the expense of Marco van Staden, Dixon can now focus on wreaking havoc solely as a flank. “I guess it simplifies my job a little bit. I have full confidence to fulfil that role.”

Not having to cover lock means he can go full tilt before making way for the Bomb Squad, which features six forwards, this weekend. He said it gives him confidence to empty his tank.

Dixon appears to be taking being a Springbok in his stride. “I’ve been living on the momentum and the excitement. I’m enjoying the moment. It’s a very welcoming environment. I thought it was going to be more intense, but it is actually more relaxed. You prepare yourself physically as well as you can and then when you get here, there are a lot of things that lifts you.”

He admitted to developing prematch nerves against the team that had set the standard earlier this week. Dixon, however, has risen to every challenge he has been presented in his career.

Meeting the challenge as will initially be thrown down in the Haka on Saturday will be another step on his journey.