Victor Matfield couldn't hide his admiration for the Springboks' latest exploits in Paris, claiming their performance surpassed even their historic thrashing of the All Blacks in Wellington. South Africa, fresh off their Rugby Championship triumph, faced off against France and emerged victorious with a 32-17 win at the Stade de France, despite the setback of losing Lood de Jager to a red card just before the interval.
On the Rugby Rivals podcast, Matfield gushed about the team's robust showing. "I thought the Boks couldn’t surprise me anymore – and then they do this. I really believe this was a better performance than Wellington against the All Blacks. The guys came out in that second half and were unbelievable."
"Malcolm Marx was immense, Jasper Wiese stood up, Sacha moving to 15 worked, and Manie came on and added tempo. The scrum before half time changed the game – once the Boks knew the French couldn’t handle them physically, it was over."
Former All Blacks wing John Kirwan echoed these sentiments, acknowledging South Africa's dominant position in global rugby. "It was a statement performance," he noted. "The rest of the world is looking on, dreading playing South Africa. I thought it was South Africa and France leading the pack, but now it’s South Africa clearly ahead. They just keep getting better."
The conversation also touched on the controversial red card issued to De Jager. Matfield expressed his disbelief at the decision, suggesting there were mitigating factors at play. "Yes, there was contact to the head, but Ramos had been tackled from behind and was already on his knees. Lood was going low – his own knees were almost on the ground – and within a second Ramos dropped nearly a metre. I definitely thought there were mitigating factors. The straight red felt harsh."
Amidst calls for clearer rulings on head-contact incidents, Kirwan called for more clarity. "If a tackler bends that low and the ball-carrier falls, surely he's made an effort? I thought it should have been a yellow upgraded to red after review. There was no malice in it." Meanwhile, former Ireland back Andrew Trimble remarked on the severity of the sanction, "I’d forgotten that the proper long-term red card was still even a thing," highlighting the unusual nature of the disciplinary action.
The debate over the red card continues, but one thing is undebatable: the Springboks' formidable prowess on the rugby field continues to grow, setting them apart as the leaders of the pack.
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Victor Matfield couldn't hide his admiration for the Springboks' latest exploits in Paris, claiming their performance surpassed even their historic thrashing of the All Blacks in Wellington. South Africa, fresh off their Rugby Championship triumph, faced off against France and emerged victorious with a 32-17 win at the Stade de France, despite the setback of losing Lood de Jager to a red card just before the interval.
On the Rugby Rivals podcast, Matfield gushed about the team's robust showing. "I thought the Boks couldn’t surprise me anymore – and then they do this. I really believe this was a better performance than Wellington against the All Blacks. The guys came out in that second half and were unbelievable."
"Malcolm Marx was immense, Jasper Wiese stood up, Sacha moving to 15 worked, and Manie came on and added tempo. The scrum before half time changed the game – once the Boks knew the French couldn’t handle them physically, it was over."
Former All Blacks wing John Kirwan echoed these sentiments, acknowledging South Africa's dominant position in global rugby. "It was a statement performance," he noted. "The rest of the world is looking on, dreading playing South Africa. I thought it was South Africa and France leading the pack, but now it’s South Africa clearly ahead. They just keep getting better."
The conversation also touched on the controversial red card issued to De Jager. Matfield expressed his disbelief at the decision, suggesting there were mitigating factors at play. "Yes, there was contact to the head, but Ramos had been tackled from behind and was already on his knees. Lood was going low – his own knees were almost on the ground – and within a second Ramos dropped nearly a metre. I definitely thought there were mitigating factors. The straight red felt harsh."
Amidst calls for clearer rulings on head-contact incidents, Kirwan called for more clarity. "If a tackler bends that low and the ball-carrier falls, surely he's made an effort? I thought it should have been a yellow upgraded to red after review. There was no malice in it." Meanwhile, former Ireland back Andrew Trimble remarked on the severity of the sanction, "I’d forgotten that the proper long-term red card was still even a thing," highlighting the unusual nature of the disciplinary action.
The debate over the red card continues, but one thing is undebatable: the Springboks' formidable prowess on the rugby field continues to grow, setting them apart as the leaders of the pack.