Matfield not Retiring after WC

The 38-year old World Cup winning lock should actually retire from playing after the Rugby World Cup and is contracted to take up a coaching position with the Vodacom Bulls next season, but it seems this may not be the case as he seeks a final payday before turning to coaching.

There have been rumours that since the axing of Frans Ludeke as Bulls coach – the Super Rugby franchise has not found a replacement – that Matfield may not be keen to go into coaching just yet, especially as Ludeke’s proposal to move to Director of coaching with Matfield and Fourie du Preez taking over the coaching reigns, was rejected with the Bulls bad run of results earlier this year.

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With this in mind, the news that Bath may want to sign him on a short term deal – a season in England to cap off a long and illustrious career – may well suit the Bok captain very well, especially with the pound very strong against the rand at the moment.

Matfield is currently nursing a hamstring injury and is not in action for the Boks this weekend in their Castle Lager Rugby Championship game against Argentina, but is expected to be a big part of coach Heyneke Meyer’s plans in the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

His move to Bulls assistant coach after the 2011 Rugby World Cup was mixed, as he took over the Bulls attack in Super Rugby and was not always a popular figure among the younger players.

When Meyer took over the Bok coaching job in 2012, he asked Matfield to begin playing again, which the big lock did in 2013, and was used extensively as player-coach by the Bulls over the last two seasons. Matfield also led the Boks into their Rugby Championship test against Australia in Brisbane last month, where he was injured. Matfield has played 12 tests since returning from his initial retirement.

The Bok lock has played overseas before, an ill-fated stint at Toulon in the Pro2 division in France after the 2007 Rugby World Cup before returning home after a year and leading the Bulls to their Vodacom Super Rugby titles in 2009 and 2010.

Asked about the impending move, Matfield’s agent Gerrie Swart said there was no truth in the speculation."

There are some interesting issues mentioned in the report and also in comments of readers on the issue:-

A Gentleman by the name of Herman Schroeder:

"Nothing worse than an old timer hanging on for dear life. The Boks must be being paid peanuts for them to have to resort to ''twilight' time'' rugby at the ripe old age of 38 going on 39. Another HM 'call back the past' moment. It seems he's desperation to resurrect the 2007 WC team from the dead has caught up with him ( so far ) with the big test still to come. Bakkies, Juan Smith, Guthro, Jacque Fourie, Bekker and others of course seeing the light and bowing out gracefully. If only JdV, Habana, JP, Matfield and FdP had also seen the light they are only muddying the waters for a permanently confused HM. Eish."

The above sentiment was supported by all other contributors 

From the article itself

"His move to Bulls assistant coach after the 2011 Rugby World Cup was mixed, as he took over the Bulls attack in Super Rugby and was not always a popular figure among the younger players."

"According to sources close to the Bulls, Matfield was also told that the Bulls would not stand in his way if he decided he didn’t want to take up the coaching contract after the World Cup."

It is clear that Matfield was a flop as attack coach of the Bulls and it also answered the question why some of especially the younger players did not show anything in the past three years in general and Super 15 this year in particular.   

It is also clear that the myth of Matfield's influence in the changeroom could also be a negative on team performance.  Nobody wants to be instructed to use out-dated methods and bossed around by a reputation ex-player.     

However, what is really delightful news is that he will not be playing in SA - hopefully he will not do further damage to any of the SA Franchises.

Matfield's presence in the WC squad would be a potentially fatal handicap in the WC campaign of the Springboks.    

The professionals at Bath obviously see the value of the great man, who cares what Tokkie and his selected correspondents think.

What we are witnessing here is just another facet of Tokkie's penchant for obsessions.