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Matfield confident in Botha's replacement

August 13 2008

South Africa captain Victor Matfield is confident that his new second row partner Andries Bekker can step into the massive void left by the injured Bakkies Botha when the latest Bok pair lock in on the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday.

Just occasionally, a national team unearths a special second row forward. On rare occasions it finds two.

Matfield and Botha have formed a world-conquering partnership that has eclipsed all South African records as a locking duo in their 42 Test matches played together.

With a whopping 126 Test caps between them, together they have wreaked havoc on all leading opposition and have often been regarded as the leading second row combination in world rugby.

With Matfield's brains and Botha's brawn, the two Bulls stars have led the way. Especially at line-out time, where the aerial battles so often leave opposition overshadowed by the bearded wonder that is Matfield.

If anybody suggests that Botha - the enforcer in the Bok pack - does not contribute in the line-outs, must look again.

Matfield may be leaping but Botha will be fighting to clear a path for his team-mate, blocking off or deterring opposition jumpers from attacking his partner in crime.

But come kick-off on Saturday, Matfield will battle it out against New Zealand without his other half and the loss of Botha will no doubt be felt by the Springboks. With Bekker set to fill Botha's boots, South Africa lose the invaluable experience of 52 Tests for the Newlands' clash.

In almost any other country in the world, Bekker would be a no-brainer selection at lock. However he will only be making his eighth Test appearance and has just 146 minutes - effectively less than two matches - of Test experience.

However Matfield has a high regard for the massive Bekker, who is the tallest player in the Tri-Nations at 2.08m tall, and is looking forward to testing out the All Black line-out with the new man in his own formation.

"It is great to have Andries there, he is a really excellent line-out forward and he is also playing well in other areas," said Matfield.

"Andries has really used his chances well, he is in great form, and I have been impressed with how well he has played."

Bekker is also a good contester of opposition line-out ball. With Matfield being recognised as the best at poaching on the opposition throw, the addition of Bekker could make the All Blacks think twice about the strategy they employed in their big win over Australia in the last Bledisloe Cup game.

In that match, the All Blacks abandoned the more expansive, running strategy they had employed in their previous clash in Sydney, and kicked for touch a lot more. For the first time in the international season, the All Blacks appeared to back their line-out, which was why they were happier to kick for touch, and it worked for them.

Bekker's ability to contest the ball at the front, however, could cause jitters to run through the All Blacks when it comes to the throw-in - a crucial aspect of success at the line-out - so Bekker's inclusion could make a massive difference to the Kiwi psychology for this game.

The Stormers lock stole some crucial ball towards the end of the opening Test at Wellington in early July, and if he can pull off a couple of early poaches at Newlands, it could have a dramatic impact on the New Zealand game.

"Obviously his line-out ability brings an extra strength to the team for Saturday," added Matfield.

"We will miss Bakkies, who has his own attributes that he brings to a game.

"But I really think this is a chance for Andries to step in and show what he can do - especially against a side like New Zealand."

Even All Blacks coach Graham Henry had some good things to say about the towering Bok lock, who rates Bekker very highly and believes his inclusion could have an impact on the game.

"Shouldn't we be looking for an injunction from the International Rugby Board banning players from participating who are more than a certain height," joked Henry.

"We have normal sized players in our team, but what is Bekker, eight foot seven?

"Seriously though, Bekker has got it, he is a great footballer, he is not only good at the line-out but also good in other areas too. I think he is going to be a great international player."

Matfield, standing in at 2.01m and weighing 110 kg, is no lightweight by any means and is expecting another hard, physical and brutal Test match against his respected rivals in what has amounted to a must-win encounter for both sides.

"I think it will once again be a hard and physical Test match," said Matfield.

"It's going to be another great Test match between two proud rugby nations, and we just going to go out there to try and give each other our best as much as we possibly can.

"There's no doubt that this has been a wonderful Tri-Nations series so far.

"This must be the closest the tournament has ever been between the three sides, so we're expecting another thriller in Cape Town."

The first and last time Matfield led his country on home soil against New Zealand was in 2007, where the visitors inflicted a come-from-behind 26-21 defeat on the South Africans.

The heartbreaking loss ruined Matfield's first game as skipper for the Springboks, but the revenge factor to beat the All Blacks under his leadership on home soil is not giving him sleepless nights.

"I don't even think about that loss in Durban," said Matfield.

"I do think though, that we have a real chance of winning the Tri-Nations and this is a very important game for us.

"So the Newlands Test is the only thing we're focusing on - not past results."

Matfield will stand aside for the likes of Percy Montgomery and Juan Smith when the two players lead the team out for their 100th and 50th Test caps respectively for South Africa.

The World Cup-winning lock is all too familiar when it comes to earning Test records, but is adamant that winning on Saturday takes precedence.

"It's great for Juan reaching his half century in the green and gold," said Matfield.

"He's really been the cornerstone of the Springbok team for the last few years, so it will be great for Juan and Monty running out in front when the team takes the field on Saturday.

"But it's more important for South Africa to beat the All Blacks than the guys reaching these milestones, but it's great for them."

Matfield will be making a small milestone of his own on Saturday when he equals former Springbok Mark Andrew's record for most Tests as a Springbok lock (75).

So with the World Cup, Tri-Nations, Super 14 and Currie Cup already won, what else is there for Matfield to achieve in the rugby world?

"I still want to win every match I play."

Enough said.

By Dave Morris in Cape Town