the essential
The South African flanker spent the first half of his career in his native country, the second in Toulouse. For La Dépêche du Midihe explains what the “red and black” should expect in his country of origin.
Stade Toulousain travels to Durban, South Africa, in the middle of summer. What climate will he face?
Rynhardt Elstadt: It’s very hot right now. I am in Pretoria (in the north of South Africa, Editor’s note.) and the temperature there is 32-34 degrees with 90% humidity. Durban is the wettest and hottest city in the country, it is next to the ocean. The climate resembles that of Nice in summer with the addition of waves.
How to adapt to these conditions?
Stade Toulousain should easily adapt. It’s not like he’s going to play in high-altitude cities like Pretoria or Johannesburg. There, it would have been very complicated. But in Durban, there will not be much difference from French cities in summer. In Toulouse it is also hot and humid in summer. The players will have difficulty the first few days but after that it will be fine. The bodies will adapt to the local climate. This is why the group travels all week. On the other hand, they will sweat a lot and you will have to be careful because the balls slip a lot.
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This is the first time that the “red and black” are traveling to your native country, do you feel any particular emotion from the local supporters?
Yes of course. Everyone is very happy to see this team in South Africa. The supporters can’t wait. There is a certain excitement because everyone loves watching Stade Toulousain and their spectacular play. Toulouse has stars in its ranks that people rarely have the opportunity to see play. Here, everyone knows Stade Toulousain because many French internationals play there.
You played for a long time in South Africa then in France, what are the main differences between these two rugbys?
For me, southern Rugby is very different, because the game is not fast like in Europe. In South Africa, the emphasis is on combat. Players like and accept physical duels. In France, they appreciate it less like Toulouse who prefer to play quickly and circulate the ball.
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There is huge excitement around the Springboks, but how do South Africans experience club rugby?
Rugby is the number 1 sport in South Africa. Here, you start playing it at 6 years old. This sport is an integral part of the local culture. We have large stadiums with almost 55,000 or 60,000 seats like Kings Park Stadium where Stade Toulousain will play against the Sharks. But currently, there are fewer people than before in the stands. If you watch the match on TV, you barely see 10,000 people, it’s not many. I couldn’t explain why.
How do you view the Sharks team?
It’s a great team with great players but there aren’t any great performances. I have no idea why. This year, the Sharks are not in good shape. If I watch away games in Europe, they lose all the time. But it is like all South African clubs which are in difficulty at the moment. In previous years the Stormers have performed well in the United Rugby Championship (a championship which brings together Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Italian and South African provinces, Editor’s note). But this is a different, more difficult competition. They have to face the best teams in the world like Stade Toulousain.
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THE two teams have already faced each other in 2023, in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup. Toulouse crushed the Sharks (54-20). You were still playing for Toulouse but you did not participate in the match due to injury. What memory do you keep of it?
I watched the match and for me it’s going to be a bit of the same style of scenario this Saturday. The only difference could be the pitch which is expected to be very wet this time. But for me, there won’t be a big difference and Toulouse will win easily. The first fifteen minutes will be very difficult because the Sharks are strong but if Stade Toulousain stays calm and plays its game: in the second half it’s ciao. This is always how it happens with Toulouse.
A prognosis?
17-42 for Toulouse. There will be a big difference in the score.
