Loodt looks likely to take over from wee victor

Ex Supersport

The loss of Victor Matfield for next weekend’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship opener against Argentina might be seen as a massive blow for the Springboks (Eeks how are we going to win any lineout balls or take the kick offs!!!BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHA), but it is also another opportunity for coach Heyneke Meyer to increase the depth in the squad.

Meyer must be wondering just when he will have his best team available after injuries and overseas club commitments have robbed him of at least a third of his team he would have liked to pick. Now with Matfield injuring himself at Monday’s practice, the focus will be on young Lood de Jager, who is set to take over Matfield’s spot.

Meyer admitted on Monday he was “really concerned” about the lack of a back-up lock to Matfield at the moment, and with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Flip van der Merwe both nursing long term injuries, the Boks have little cover in this department.(Is Willemse unavailable?)

It isn’t only in the line-outs (VASTLY OVER RATED)– a stat that Matfield dominates in the Southern Hemisphere – where the team has been hit. In terms of leadership and the mentor role that Matfield was playing with younger up and coming locks, Meyer was hoping this would be a continuous process that would take the team through to the World Cup.

Matfield sat on the sidelines for most of Monday’s training session with an ice-pack on his knee, looking forlorn, and while initial diagnosis was that it wasn’t expected to be serious, the Bok lock still felt discomfort overnight and was sent for a scan.

Matfield was diagnosed with “a small tear in a cartilage after being sent for scans today (Tuesday) morning after feeling some discomfort in his knee at training on Monday,” a team statement said.

“Victor’s injury will initially be treated conservatively and a decision on his further participation in the competition will be made during the course of next week,” said Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts.

On Monday, however, Meyer did say that while Matfield was still first choice to take Matfield’s place, it was young Lood de Jager, who has played a few games at five for the Toyota Cheetahs this year, but is more recognised as a four lock, that is set to deputise for him.

And now with Matfield injured, De Jager may well be thrust into the spotlight to face the Argentinians at Loftus Versfeld with Eben Etzebeth or Bakkies Botha as his partner.

“The one big thing is – there is always criticism about Victor – but if it wasn’t for him, we would really be in big trouble,” Meyer said on Monday.(WAKE UP MEYER!!)

“I was very happy with Stephan Lewies in that one game, but with all due respect Scotland aren’t the best in the world. We are a bit hamstrung with Flip out for the season and Lood is the guy we believe can play there. I still believe four will be his best position but we can move him there. Eben (Etzebeth) is another guy we want to start playing there.”

“It is a huge concern, we don’t have five locks in this country and we really want to work hard with Eben and Lood, and Lood will probably move to five if we need him. Victor is working hard with him at the moment. It will take time, and that is an area I’m really concerned about.”

Lewies may well be called up as a short-term replacement for the Boks this week, with Franco van der Merwe (Ulster) and Juandre Kruger (Racing Metro) the other candidates that the Boks could look at.

The last member of the Bok squad – hooker Schalk Brits – finally arrived at the team hotel on Tuesday after he had to endure a long journey from Saracens’ pre-season camp in the United States.

The Boks are set to name Matfield’s replacement on Wednesday.

With Eben's injury repeating itself it could be one of those chronic things. And there are no other classical number 5 locks around. Steph looks even more injury prone. Lots of 4s ....very few 5s. 

Oh I forgot there is Lewies, Mike's favourite, who was tossed around like a rag doll by the Saders.

But he’s more. He is a product of genetic engineering. Not in some fancy pants high-performance centre where doe-eyed biokinetic graduates merrily trot around with clipboards and pearly-white smiles.

No, his were the hard streets of Parow. Ask anyone older Capetonian about the Etzebeths from Parow and you’ll hear many stories, some funny, most rather scary. In short, they were the hard men of Parow. Their names struck fear into everyone’s heart.

Clifford Etzebeth (right) on his way to winning a gold medal – at the age of 62…

His uncles, “Skattie” and Cliffie Etzebeth were known bar fighters. Cliffie himself – who last year became the world amateur wrestling champion in his age group at a mere 62 years old – told of how he and Skattie would go looking for fights in the Parow Hotel over weekends.

“It was easy [to start a fight], you know. You just take someone’s drink and wait for him to react. At the end of the month we’d go to the Parow Hotel when the Spoorweg (Railway) okes got paid. It was never hard to start a fight…”

There’s another story of how Skattie decked a young farmer one evening at a dance outside Stellenbosch. Skattie just carried on drinking casually. A few minutes later the confused guy got up and started walking unsteadily. Skattie looked up, put his drink down and said: “O, ek sien jy’s al weer op!” (Oh, I can see you’re up already!) and decked him straight away.

There’s another story how Cliffie (when he played for WP) was asked by Doc Craven to “look after Morné” – this after Morné du Plessis had tackled Naas Botha unconscious at Loftus. There were serious concerns about Morné’s safety, so Cliffie and one or two other guys sat down in the hotel corridor in front of Morné’s room, armed with a case or two beer.

Another beauty is the story of Skattie and Cliffie playing a game for Parow against UCT. The educated UCT boys were using line-out calls like “Pythagoras!”, “Aristoteles” and the like. So after a few line outs, Cliffie asked Skattie if he’d worked out their calls yet.

To which Skattie replied: “Nee, maar hulle gooi altyd op daai p**s met die rooi baard!” (No, but they’re always throwing at that p**s with the red beard!”

Ah, they don’t make them like they used to, eh? Well, not so actually. Just look at young Eben.

After the game a mate sms’ed me the follow bit from a Terminator movie, referring to Eben Etzebeth: “Listen and understand. That Terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead…”