Victor Matfield, the iconic former Springbok lock, is voicing strong opinions against the current lineout strategies of the South African team, contrasting them unfavorably with those of the All Blacks. Matfield, a master of lineout mechanics during his illustrious career, now serves as a pundit and a consultant for Eddie Jones’ coaching team in Japan. He recently expressed his frustrations on SuperSport following a match where the Springboks' lineout success wavered at 78%, with even secured balls resulting in messy play, largely due to New Zealand’s superior lineout defense.
Discussing lineout tactics on The Rivals podcast alongside Sir John Kirwan, Matfield criticized the pod system employed by many teams, including the Springboks, which often allows the opposition an unchallenged throw at the front of the lineout. He reminisced about his playing days, favoring a more aggressive approach similar to the current New Zealand strategy, which involves no free throws and constant pressure on the opposition.
"Most teams do the pod system, where they kind of give you a free throw to the front of the lineout, and it’s always easy – South Africa do the same, they give you the front ball. I’ve always been against that because, although you give the front ball, you can make plans from it, you can shift it, you can play, let your backs take it, let a forward fall out, and he can be the playmaker, so there are a lot of options, and you don’t feel the pressure at the lineout,”
Matfield explained.
Matfield highlighted the effective contesting by the All Blacks, which often disrupts the opponent's ball delivery to their scrum-half, citing the performance of All Blacks’ player Vaa’i as particularly disruptive. He noted that South Africa’s failure to adapt their lineout strategy to counter different defensive systems was a major tactical flaw.
The Springbok legend also pointed out specific incidents where the Boks' lineout strategy allowed New Zealand to exploit gaps, notably when Malcolm Marx was forced to cover multiple roles due to the team's setup, leading to a crucial try by Will Jordan. Matfield argued that such issues stem from a misunderstanding of lineout dynamics by defensive coaches, whom he has clashed with in his consultancy roles.
"That’s a defence coach’s doing. It’s a defence coach who is only worrying about his defence,”
Matfield lamented, emphasizing that a strong lineout defense can significantly disrupt the opposition’s game plan.
Despite these criticisms, Matfield did commend the Springboks’ scrum performance in the same match, suggesting it was back to its dominant best and would be a concern for any team, including the All Blacks.
2,193 posts
Victor Matfield, the iconic former Springbok lock, is voicing strong opinions against the current lineout strategies of the South African team, contrasting them unfavorably with those of the All Blacks. Matfield, a master of lineout mechanics during his illustrious career, now serves as a pundit and a consultant for Eddie Jones’ coaching team in Japan. He recently expressed his frustrations on SuperSport following a match where the Springboks' lineout success wavered at 78%, with even secured balls resulting in messy play, largely due to New Zealand’s superior lineout defense.
Discussing lineout tactics on The Rivals podcast alongside Sir John Kirwan, Matfield criticized the pod system employed by many teams, including the Springboks, which often allows the opposition an unchallenged throw at the front of the lineout. He reminisced about his playing days, favoring a more aggressive approach similar to the current New Zealand strategy, which involves no free throws and constant pressure on the opposition.
"Most teams do the pod system, where they kind of give you a free throw to the front of the lineout, and it’s always easy – South Africa do the same, they give you the front ball. I’ve always been against that because, although you give the front ball, you can make plans from it, you can shift it, you can play, let your backs take it, let a forward fall out, and he can be the playmaker, so there are a lot of options, and you don’t feel the pressure at the lineout,”
Matfield explained.Matfield highlighted the effective contesting by the All Blacks, which often disrupts the opponent's ball delivery to their scrum-half, citing the performance of All Blacks’ player Vaa’i as particularly disruptive. He noted that South Africa’s failure to adapt their lineout strategy to counter different defensive systems was a major tactical flaw.
The Springbok legend also pointed out specific incidents where the Boks' lineout strategy allowed New Zealand to exploit gaps, notably when Malcolm Marx was forced to cover multiple roles due to the team's setup, leading to a crucial try by Will Jordan. Matfield argued that such issues stem from a misunderstanding of lineout dynamics by defensive coaches, whom he has clashed with in his consultancy roles.
"That’s a defence coach’s doing. It’s a defence coach who is only worrying about his defence,”
Matfield lamented, emphasizing that a strong lineout defense can significantly disrupt the opposition’s game plan.Despite these criticisms, Matfield did commend the Springboks’ scrum performance in the same match, suggesting it was back to its dominant best and would be a concern for any team, including the All Blacks.