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Pieter-Steph tops Welsh list of 50 best rugby players in 2019

Cape Town - Springbok flank Pieter-Steph du Toit tops the list of a Welsh publication's 50 best rugby players in the world in 2019.

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Last month, following South Africa's World Cup triumph in Japan, Du Toit was named World Rugby Player of the Year and the Wales Online website agrees that he was the best rugby player on the planet this year.

The publication describes Du Toit as "a one-man counter-rucking destroyer in Japan", before adding: "The Springbok back-row was largely responsible for Wales' World Cup semi-final defeat.

"Made more tackles than any other Springbok on their way to World Cup glory and was rightly named Player of the Year at the World Rugby Awards. It could only have been him at the top of this list."

Ten more Springboks cracked the nod in this prestigious list, with scrumhalf Faf de Klerk (third), wing Cheslin Kolbe (sixth) also cracking the top 10.

The other Springboks named include centre Damian de Allende (12th), No 8 Duane Vermeulen (14th), prop Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira (21st), flyhalf Handre Pollard (28th), lock Eben Etzebeth (37th), wing Makazole Mapimpi (41st), lock Lood de Jager (43rd) and hooker Bongi Mbonambi (44th).

See the full list on the Wales Online website

- Compiled by Herman Mostert

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