Mike Greenaway
LONDON: Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer is set to sweep aside sentiment and leave Bok legend Victor Matfield out of his match 23 for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Wales.
It would be a bold move considering Matfield’s considerable influence on the team.
The 38-year-old Matfield retired after the 2011 World Cup, but was asked to make a comeback by Meyer last year and the 125-Test lock has had mixed results.
And during the period that he has been injured at the World Cup, youngster Lood de Jager has upstaged the veteran.
The hard-working Cheetahs star has been arguably the Boks’ best player at the World Cup and has made the most tackles at the tournament so far (50).
Going by the shadow side that trained yesterday afternoon, Matfield, who is over a hamstring injury, will not even feature on the bench as lock cover, with that duty going to another rising star, Pieter-Steph du Toit.