Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Matfield to play his 112th Springboks Test

  1. #1
    Immortal Contributor The InnFORCEr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    West Leederville
    Posts
    16,871
    vCash
    3102000

    Matfield to play his 112th Springboks Test

    June 19, 2014


    Victor Matfield will on Saturday become the most-capped Test player in the history of South African rugby when he leads the Springboks against Wales in his 112th Test match at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

    Matfield made his Test debut on 30 June 2001 against Italy in Port Elizabeth. He retired after the Rugby World Cup in 2011 on 110 caps, but made a highly successful return to the game earlier this year.

    “This is a fantastic accolade for Victor,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer on Wednesday.

    “He has been a terrific servant of the game in South Africa and has led his country with distinction since returning to the Green and Gold.

    “When he returned to the game earlier this season, he set his goals on becoming a Springbok yet again and he’s worked extremely hard to get there. I don’t think anyone can doubt that he deserves his place in the team and he’s also been a great interim captain, with Jean de Villiers out injured.”

    Matfield, who is also the most-capped Super Rugby player in South Africa, will captain a Springbok starting line-up which shows two changes from the team which beat Wales by 38-16 in Durban last week.

    Both changes are in the pack, where Tendai Mtawarira returns at loosehead prop, with Gurthrö Steenkamp reverting to the bench, while Flip van der Merwe will partner Matfield in the second row in the place of Bakkies Botha.

    The only other change to the team is amongst the backline reserves, where Wynand Olivier replaces the injured Johan Goosen to provide necessary midfield cover. Ruan Pienaar will provide backup for scrumhalf and flyhalf, while Lwazi Mvovo can cover fullback and wing.

    Commenting on the team selection, Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said it was an easy decision to stick with the core of the team which beat the Welsh last weekend in Durban.

    “I’ve always preferred to stick with a winning combination and the changes to the team were both part of our planning,” said Meyer.

    “The backline really performed well last weekend and we would like to give them another opportunity to play together, as there were a number of new combinations.

    “The same applies upfront. Bakkies is fit for selection, but we decided to manage his workload this week and I know Flip, who has been outstanding in the last two seasons, will slot back in easily. The same goes for ‘Beast’, who upped the tempo with his work rate last weekend.”

    Meyer said he is expecting another tough challenge from Wales this weekend.

    “They’ve had another week together and will be keen to lift their game on Saturday, but at the same time we were not happy with certain aspects of our game and we’ve worked hard to rectify that,” said Meyer.

    “This is their last match of the season, so we’re expecting them to come out firing. But we also want to make a step up and ensure we keep on improving as the season progresses.”

    The Springbok team to face Wales in Nelspruit is:

    15 Willie le Roux - 13 caps, 25 Test points
    14 Cornal Hendricks - 1 cap, 5 Test points
    13 JP Pietersen - 52 caps, 80 Test points
    12 Jan Serfontein - 10 caps, 5Test points
    11 Bryan Habana - 96 caps, 275 Test points
    10 Morné Steyn - 55 caps, 649 Test points
    9 Fourie du Preez (vice-captain) - 68 caps, 75 Test points
    8 Duane Vermeulen - 17 caps, 10 Test points
    7 Willem Alberts - 31 caps, 35 Test points
    6 Francois Louw - 29 caps, 25 Test points
    5 Victor Matfield (captain) - 111 caps, 35 Test points
    4 Flip van der Merwe - 34 caps, 5 Test points
    3 Jannie du Plessis - 52 caps, 5 Test points
    2 Bismarck du Plessis (vice-captain) - 58 caps, 45 Test points
    1 Tendai Mtawarira - 54 caps, 10 Test points

    Replacements:
    16 Schalk Brits - 6 caps, 0 Test points
    17 Gurthrö Steenkamp - 50 caps, 30 Test points
    18 Coenie Oosthuizen - 15 caps, 10 Test points
    19 Lood de Jager - 1 cap, 0 Test points
    20 Schalk Burger - 69 caps, 65 Test points
    21 Ruan Pienaar - 75 caps, 130 Test points
    22 Wynand Olivier - 37 caps, 5 Test points
    23 Lwazi Mvovo - 8 caps, 5 Test points

    http://www.sanzarrugby.com/therugbyc...ringboks-test/



    942 caps in full squad and 261 caps on the bench alone!!!!

    Compared to Wallabies at 593 and 159 respectively

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Last edited by The InnFORCEr; 19-06-14 at 15:26.
    80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?

    Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!

    Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!

  2. #2
    (a.k.a. Mr Pinkbits) Stone Cold's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    1,327
    vCash
    5000000
    Good to hear Victorb (the b is for bargain).

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    coz Stone Cold says so

  3. #3
    Immortal Contributor The InnFORCEr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    West Leederville
    Posts
    16,871
    vCash
    3102000
    Be warned this is a 1pm WST Kick Off, it's live in Sydney at 3pm!!!

    Wallabies first, followed by All Blacks this weekend

    1 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?

    Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!

    Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!

  4. #4
    Legend Contributor blueandblack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    6,087
    vCash
    8894664
    Quote Originally Posted by The InnFORCEr View Post
    Be warned this is a 1pm WST Kick Off, it's live in Sydney at 3pm!!!

    Wallabies first, followed by All Blacks this weekend
    choice! I shall be at for them both...

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "12 Years a Supporter" starring the #SeaOfBlue

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 5
    Last Post: 19-01-14, 20:01
  2. Wallabies vs Springboks first test preview
    By greenandgoldrugby in forum Wallabies
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 17-07-08, 16:26
  3. springboks team to play all blacks this weekend
    By lara93 in forum South Africa
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 10-07-08, 19:35
  4. Argentina to play Springboks in first Tri-Nations step
    By Flamethrower in forum International Rugby
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 22-05-08, 23:53
  5. World XV to play Springboks in June
    By NewsBot in forum News Feeds
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 22-02-06, 10:39

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •