Victor Matfield on reviving Springboks. Start building for Japan 2019.

It was a dark day in Springbok rugby, not the first, and most likely not the last. It’s not often people walk out the pub when the Springboks are playing, but that second half display against the All Blacks saw just that. Empty seats, which was also evident on the TV screens. But where to from here? The old saying that there’s nothing more feared than a damaged Springbok in world rugby is starting to wear thin, and a plan is needed. Former Springbok lock and World Cup winner Victor Matfield chatted to David O’Sullivan, looking at options going forward. Here is that conversation transcribed as heard on Joburg PM with David O’Sullivan on Hot91.9. – Stuart Lowman

Victor, obviously we’ve seen a lot of the analysis about what happened in the New Zealand game, what do we do next, what do you think can be done to try and ensure that Springbok rugby doesn’t continue on a downhill slide?

David, I think it’s just a hard day for everyone in South Africa, everyone that loves the game and that’s most of the country. I think we need to have a look at everything, how we firstly administrate rugby in South Africa, how we work together, and what’s our plan as a country. We really need to have an in-depth look at how we do things and why we do things, if the Springboks are still the most important part of this country, then we have to go have a look at our coaching staff, your people administrating the game. We really need to go have an in-depth look at what’s happening in South African Rugby.

Rugby Union - South Africa v Japan - IRB Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool B - Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton, England - 19/9/15 Japan's Kosei Ono in action with South Africa's Victor Matfield Reuters / Stefan Wermuth Livepic
Japan’s Kosei Ono in action with South Africa’s Victor Matfield. Reuters / Stefan Wermuth

I see that Allister Coetzee is suggesting a coaching indaba calling all stakeholders, if that’s the right word, to try to thrash out a future. Do you think that’s at least a good start to get people talking about what we need to do to grow the young talent, schoolboy level?

Yes, I think we have to do it and I would just like to see who is going to be at the coaching indaba. Again, I think in South Africa, if you just look at the players that retired, you don’t get the top guys, a guy like Fourie Du Preez, Jean de Villiers, guys that really have a lot of input in the game while they play, if we don’t get that knowledge over to the players once they’re done, they all go into different directions and we don’t involve them in coaching, in strategic meetings and meetings like that. So, I think it will be very important to get the right guys at that forum al least, and to make sure these guys can also give their input and make sure we go in the right direction.

Well, I can’t think of a better person if it comes to talking about line out and line out management than you, if you got the invitation, would you act on that, would you go along to something like that?

Well, of course I would like to be involved. If you just take a guy like Fourie Du Preez, I think he would have loved to be a coach, but unfortunately, things don’t always happen like that, but again we all love this game. I want to see South Africa be the best rugby nation in the world, so I think any ex-player or anyone that loves the game, if he gets the chance to be involved would definitely like to go in and talk and share his ideas.

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When you look at the players individually and you assess them on their playing abilities, there are no bad players on that field and that they all have the talent. I suppose it’s now nurturing their talent and getting a game plan together. What did you feel was going wrong for the Springboks and has been going wrong for quite a few games now that we’re unable to score tries?

Firstly, at the moment our forwards are actually competing pretty well, our forwards are really doing well if you look at our set piece, it was really good. I think all of us in South Africa talk a lot about a game plan. I think we must almost get away from that. I think we need to go have a look at our basic skill, how we can improve that, our fitness levels, the way we play the game; we have to play the game quicker. Then, if you can have all those things in place, then it comes to decision-making on the field, then we must empower our players to make the right decisions on the field.

I said it after the one game, you can’t just kick or you can’t just run, you need to be able to do everything, but firstly, you need to have the skills to do that and then secondly, we need to get our players especially on critical positions to be able to make the right decisions on the field. We can’t play it… I think it’s ten years ago where you played where you said, “Listen, in this area we’re going to kick, in this area…” You can’t do that anymore, you have to have a look at what the defence gives you, you have to make those decisions on the field, and we need to get that right to move forward in South African rugby.

Well, let’s talk about the All Blacks and the difference between the rest of the world and the All Blacks. Why is it that they are as good as they are, that they’ve been as dominant as they have been for so long?

Firstly, they just have very talented players. Everyone always goes on about how they’re pick skill, they don’t pick big guys, but if you look at their background, it’s probably not one guy, except for Beauden Barrett that’s under 100kg’s. They’re all big guys, they run faster than most other backs and then they have the skills as well, but the other thing is as a rugby union, I spoke to John Mitchell the other day and they’re working together, they’re already sitting down.

The fitness coaches and the All Blacks had a session for a week long with all the coaches and trainers of the super rugby teams and where they want to go to, how they want to go, how they can be faster, how they can be quicker and how do they want to play, so how do they need to prepare and we need to get that in place, that’s why they’re in front of everyone, it’s all they care about. If you think they don’t let guys go and play overseas, they have to play in New Zealand to play for their country. So you have to make the decision, you know that then they get looked after and those senior players give information through to the younger players and it’s just a system that works for them.

We have the overseas tour coming up; we have the Barbarians, England, Italy, and Wales coming up in November. Do you think there’s anything that can be done right now that will ensure the Springboks will at least be competitive when they go overseas?

Yes, I think so and again, we have three or four weeks before we go on tour. I don’t know how long they’re going to take. Normally they let the guys go. I will say, give them a week break and then those contract players need to get back in. I think we’re not in a position where we can’t take three weeks off, we need to get together, we need to work, and we need to fix certain things. If we just look at our defence, if we can just get our defence right, then we will be much more competitive.

So I think there are things that can be fixed in the short-term, but I also think we need to take a long-term view here. Allister will have to go out and say “Listen, who are the players going to the next World Cup?” We need to start playing them or need those guys to get experience, we need to play them, get them under pressure in games so that they learn and then once they get to the World Cup, they would have been there and they would have gone through everything, all the decision-making and they’ll be experienced.

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