Victor Matfield will return to top-level rugby in this year’s Super 15 and make himself available again for the Springboks, it is being widely reported in South Africa.
Numerous reports say the 2007 World Cup-winning lock, who has played 110 Tests for South Africa, will end his two-year retirement to again represent the Pretoria-based Bulls in Super Rugby from next month. He will be 37 in May.
Matfield may also be considered for the Springboks, with national coach Heyneke Meyer a former coach of Matfield at domestic level with the Bulls and a big fan of the second-rower.
Neither the Bulls nor the South African Rugby Union are commenting on a possible return for Matfield but he has been photographed training with the Bulls playing squad at a preseason camp.
Matfield is a member of the Bulls coaching staff.
“If (Victor) can play as he has in the past, it will be good news for South African rugby, but at his age it just gets harder and harder to compete at the same level,” former South Africa lock Mark Andrews, a 1995 World Cup winner, told Die Burger newspaper.
“And the 2015 Rugby World Cup is a long way away.”
Matfield could surpass Johan Ackermann as the oldest Springbok in the modern era if he plays for South Africa in the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship, which starts in August.
Ackermann, the coach of the Johannesburg-based Lions, was also 37 when he played his last Test in 2007.
Ackermann backed Matfield’s return, even for the next World Cup in Britain, when Matfield would be 38.
“Matfield is fit, athletic and his experience will add great value to the Springboks,” Ackermann told the Afrikaans-language Die Burger.
“I believe he is definitely still in Heyneke Meyer’s Springbok plans. He offers Heyneke security going into next year’s World Cup and is an ideal player to fall back on.”
Yet there was also a warning from Ackermann that Matfield shouldn’t hold up younger players, something that led to criticism of the national team and former coach Peter de Villiers when former captain John Smit was picked at hooker at the end of his career ahead of Bismarck du Plessis, who was widely considered to be a better player at the time.
Some argue that the Springboks should be developing a partnership between young locks Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit for the World Cup rather than gambling on Matfield.
Alan
Guest
Gavin, you make sweeping statements regarding Matfield's intelligence based on what exactly, the fact that he turned out a less rhan gifted TV commentator? He has a university degree, which in itself puts him in the top 2 percent of people.
fredstone
Guest
Re: Juan Obviously you haven't been watching a lot of Top 14 games
They did, way back when....
Firstxv
Guest
Perhaps SA can play this side? Montgomery; Pietersen, Fourie, Steyn, Habana; James, Du Preez; Du Randt, Smit (capt), Van der Linde, Botha, Matfi eld, Burger, Smith, Rossouw... oh... hang on...
Harry Jones
Guest
Yip. I know. He's too quick to give up on young fellas.
Harry I just don't get what Meyer is trying to achieve with these "old guys" If he wants them to mrntor youngsters, he would not need them to play for the Boks, they could simply just be part of the training group. I think Meyer is expecting these guys to be of the same vintge as 2009, now I see two definte problems with that. Firstly they will be 6 years older and their mindset is conservative kick and chase rugby.
felix
Guest
Yeah difficult to judge until the Super15 is done,I want to take a very close look at the "old players" during,If they dominate the youngster in the Super 15 then I'm afraid knocking on that Bok door mite take a Le Roux type of effort or Etzebeth who annihilated the bok door to smitherines,it will take a champion type of effort,which is what the majority want,no space for mediocrity,Emagine how Taute will be wanting to squeeze himself in aswell :-)
Harry Jones
Guest
BB Howzit boet I agree it's a worry that HM seems to be looking back whilst he's also looking ahead Victor 2009 won't be Victor 2014; the knees are not the same and he got too thin hey, from cycling and he was never that stout
dcnz
Guest
JDV is backing Victor and he also says this about the team.. Q: Speaking of the All Blacks, it’s the one ‘unticked box’ for your team ... do you think in hindsight you might have knocked them over on that Highveld occasion had the bonus point not been an issue? Look, we might have ... but the fact remains we didn’t. That’s our goal this year: our goal is to get back to No 1 and for that to happen we need to start actually beating New Zealand. Easier said than done, but we believe we’re a team getting better and better and that we have the personnel to do it. I mean, you take everything you’ve got already, and you add guys coming back from injury: Frans Steyn, Schalk Burger, Johan Goosen, Jaco Taute, Jaque back in the mix, a guy like Victor maybe coming back. All those names make you realise you don’t want to miss out on anything! Don’t forget the existing guys ... take someone like Jannie (du Plessis) who has been awesome on and off the field, and aided me a lot, and then in his slot you have guys like Frans (Malherbe) and Coenie (Oosthuizen) and Lourens (Adriaanse) who got his first cap coming through. It’s looking good, and it’s just about putting it together on the field. We definitely have the players ...
Tigranes
Guest
JB Victor did play at Toulon but based on his autobiography, he hated his time there
Jerry
Guest
Hahaha. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/8877764/Donalds-heroic-kick-to-be-made-into-movie
TembaVJ
Guest
Thats another movie in the making, Donald the most hated rugby player in NZ break a 20 something year RWC heartache with his boot.
TembaVJ
Guest
After that hollywood spun version of Nelsons book he can now be renamed Saint Nelson and Donald stand no chance. Too be fair Donald did win it for NZ
Jerry
Guest
I don't think it's really saying anything bad about Os. Well, apart from the Stephen Donald thing, but it's not really fair to compare people to Stephen Donald - he makes Nelson Mandela look bad.
TembaVJ
Guest
Its thanks to OS that they never had to get out of second gear!! I will not tolerate anything bad being said about OS. Its far worse then a knee to McCaws face, even his wifes face! :)
Kuruki
Roar Guru
It doesn't get much better then a combination of Bekker and Etzebeth. Imo Matfield will be good for the Bulls but not for the Bokke. Du Toit should be given as much game time for the Bokke as possible from now to the World cup. Matfield will struggle to foot it around the paddock with workhorses like Etzebeth, Rettalick, Whitelock and co, come world cup.
Let's hope you are correct temba
Jerry
Guest
But in all seriousness, this "You can directly connect SA winning the RWC to Du Randt being on the team" is going a bit far. The Boks barely had to get out of 2nd gear to win that RWC. Fair play, they beat the teams in front of them but they'd have won with Derick Hougaard at prop most likely. Or to put it another way, Os is no Stephen Donald.
Jerry
Guest
Jake the Muss always gets a bad rap for that eggs scene. He didn't want the eggs for himself, they were for Uncle Bully. Jake was just being a good host.
Chan Wee
Guest
@ Harry Jones : if it was up to me , i would try Alberts in 2nd row and Deysel at 6 :) Imagine the bulk and grunt they would bring in. and the line out options , since all 3rd rows used to jump (alberts vermulen and flow). mind u, Alberts is a 2nd row convert to blindside so... may be a little slower than the average pack but still that can be nullified by the sheer power. then u keep the Kolisis and PDTs on the bench and bring them on for 20-30.