The weight hanging on stand-in captain Victor Matfield’s broad shoulders has never been heavier as he leads out a Springbok team bereft of experience and confidence against the Wallabies in Brisbane today.
Matfield, 38, is at the centre of everything coach Heyneke Meyer is trying to piece together ahead of the World Cup in Britain in two months time. If regular team captain Jean de Villiers is the heart, Matfield is the mind.
When he runs out in the middle of the Suncorp Stadium today, Matfield will either be steering the Titanic to its doom or the Queen Mary II towards prosperous tropical waters. The imminent 80 minutes holds the answers.
Naturally, he is in command of the Bok lineout and has devised the ploy to steal throw-ins by his Wallaby counterpart Stephen Moore.
Lock Rob Simmons and loose-forwards Scott Fardy and Scott Higginbotham will have plenty to say about that, though.
The Queensland Reds, led by Simmons, and Fardy’s Brumbies had some of the best lineouts in Super Rugby this year. Matfield won’t have it all his own way.
Moreover, Matfield has more Test caps than the sum total of the players who have never been to a World Cup that are in today’s Springbok starting XV – 121 versus 96. So, cooling young heads under pressure is also on him.
‘‘I have to sort out the lineout, the number five lock as well as the kick-offs, that is still my primary job,” said Matfield.
‘‘I’m also working closely with a guy like Lood in case something happens to me or if the coach decides to pick him, so that he can fulfil that role.
“I’ve fulfilled the leadership role for the last 10 years and I’m used to being the senior guy with added responsibilities. I enjoy it quite a bit, so there is no extra pressure.
‘‘Simmons is very good at lineout time and it will be tough playing against him. I’ve always thought Higginbotham has been the form number eight in Australia for a long time.
“Higginbotham is a good lineout option and scores a lot of tries because he is always there at the right time.”
Were it not for the rout of the World XV in Cape Town last week, most of the Bok members would have gone into this Rugby Championship with the sour taste of defeat still fresh on their tongues after atrocious Super Rugby campaigns.
But players like Handre Pollard, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel and Willie le Roux will be assured the job can still be done at Test level even without a provincial medal around their necks.
There is no other rugby player in Brisbane today – bar winger Bryan Habana – who knows what it feels like to win Super Rugby and the World Cup in the same year. But Matfield has also seen first-hand the Webb Ellis trophy won by men without Super Rugby medals. ‘‘It is never good to not feature in the semifinals and final but those three extra weeks we had were spent well,” said Matfield.
Boks look to their towering inferno
Matfield, 38, is at the centre of everything coach Heyneke Meyer is trying to piece together ahead of the World Cup in Britain in two months time. If regular team captain Jean de Villiers is the heart, Matfield is the mind.
When he runs out in the middle of the Suncorp Stadium today, Matfield will either be steering the Titanic to its doom or the Queen Mary II towards prosperous tropical waters. The imminent 80 minutes holds the answers.
Naturally, he is in command of the Bok lineout and has devised the ploy to steal throw-ins by his Wallaby counterpart Stephen Moore.
Lock Rob Simmons and loose-forwards Scott Fardy and Scott Higginbotham will have plenty to say about that, though.
The Queensland Reds, led by Simmons, and Fardy’s Brumbies had some of the best lineouts in Super Rugby this year. Matfield won’t have it all his own way.
Moreover, Matfield has more Test caps than the sum total of the players who have never been to a World Cup that are in today’s Springbok starting XV – 121 versus 96. So, cooling young heads under pressure is also on him.
‘‘I have to sort out the lineout, the number five lock as well as the kick-offs, that is still my primary job,” said Matfield.
‘‘I’m also working closely with a guy like Lood in case something happens to me or if the coach decides to pick him, so that he can fulfil that role.
“I’ve fulfilled the leadership role for the last 10 years and I’m used to being the senior guy with added responsibilities. I enjoy it quite a bit, so there is no extra pressure.
‘‘Simmons is very good at lineout time and it will be tough playing against him. I’ve always thought Higginbotham has been the form number eight in Australia for a long time.
“Higginbotham is a good lineout option and scores a lot of tries because he is always there at the right time.”
Were it not for the rout of the World XV in Cape Town last week, most of the Bok members would have gone into this Rugby Championship with the sour taste of defeat still fresh on their tongues after atrocious Super Rugby campaigns.
But players like Handre Pollard, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel and Willie le Roux will be assured the job can still be done at Test level even without a provincial medal around their necks.
There is no other rugby player in Brisbane today – bar winger Bryan Habana – who knows what it feels like to win Super Rugby and the World Cup in the same year. But Matfield has also seen first-hand the Webb Ellis trophy won by men without Super Rugby medals. ‘‘It is never good to not feature in the semifinals and final but those three extra weeks we had were spent well,” said Matfield.
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