Matfield’s flank fling
11 Mar 2008
The world’s best lock has been playing flank. They do things a little differently at Toulon Rugby Club.
It would be unheard of in South Africa for Matfield trade shirt No. 5 for No. 7. He has no equal when it comes to lock play. His analyses of, and ability to read and torment opposition jumpers is legendary, while is skill and athleticism in loose play is unmatched.
There was, however, method to head coach Tana Umaga’s madness. Matfield, speaking to keo.co.za from his home in the picturesque suburb of Carquieranne, picks up the story of his three matches in unfamiliar territory.
“The whole purpose behind the switch was to enable me to get my hands on the ball more,” Matfield explains. “The coaching staff wanted me to be more involved in the loose, and they felt I had the necessary skills to succeed as a flanker.
“The adjustment was a fairly easy one to make. There’s not many differences other than packing down at a different place in the scrum. I still played the same role I always have in the lineouts – making the calls and being the primary jumper.
“I enjoyed the couple of matches I played there, but I think they realised I was best utilised at lock, so I’m back there for this weekend’s match [Matfield will be partnered by former Bulls team-mate Francois van Schouwenburg].”
Toulon currently top the log in Pro Division 2, four points clear of Stade Montois and a further 10 points clear of the ambitious Paris-based Racing Metro [two teams are promoted to the Top 14]. They have, however, dropped points on the road, putting them under pressure going into the closing stages of the season.
“It’s getting tight now but we’ve got a good, experienced side, so I’m confident we will cope with the pressure,” he said. “The key is to get a couple of away wins [they've lost their last three away games] because that’s been our weakness this season.”
Asked what he made of the Bulls’ indifferent form this season, Matfield sympathized with his former franchise but was in no doubt that their form graph would show an upward curve in the coming weeks.
“The key is to focus on the week ahead and not be overly fixated on setting goals for the [Australasian] tour,” he said. “You get into trouble the moment you start looking ahead and lose focus on the task at hand.
“I’m sure they’ll bounce back. They’ve played some good rugby this season – people lose sight of that. They dominated for 30 minutes against an excellent Crusaders side, and should have been 15 points up with 10 minutes to go against the Sharks. I think inexperience cost them in those matches, with guys like Bakkies Botha, Bryan Habana and Akona Ndungane missing.
“But they’re back now which is a huge boost. They’ve been playing some good rugby in my opinion. They key is getting some momentum on tour, which would allow them to make a big charge in the latter part of the campaign.”
By Ryan Vrede
242 Comments
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11 Mar 2008, 21:23 pm
hallo SS.
11 Mar 2008, 21:23 pm
Skop, in the Strand
Jinx, building with huge equipemnt
11 Mar 2008, 21:24 pm
Robd,
the San river is well known
i’ve you have a flyrod.
11 Mar 2008, 21:26 pm
The people who put in the petrol, I guess!
hello Duiwel
11 Mar 2008, 21:26 pm
Is Ig still about?
11 Mar 2008, 21:28 pm
hzit Robd,
see what a diffirence a good
flyhalf makes’ey.
11 Mar 2008, 21:28 pm
Skoppie jou dom bouer! Pleks julle en die Argitekte meer na ons QS’s luister, sal die boubedryf ook ‘n beter naam kry. Hehehehehe
11 Mar 2008, 21:30 pm
Nice place with view over the sea in the Strand Bb?
So you a peoples manager robd? Personnel psychology expert?
You Cd out on the shelves yet jinxie?
11 Mar 2008, 21:30 pm
Robd,
you simply have to get a flyrod
and have a look at the San river.
Its one of those things that simply
has to be done.
11 Mar 2008, 21:31 pm
Isigidi, nou raak dit interesant. Het nie geweet jy is QS nie! Ek, jy en Skop kan besigheid begin, Jinx kan dit verkoop.
11 Mar 2008, 21:32 pm
Right, got to duck,
annerdag all
mooistap.
11 Mar 2008, 21:32 pm
Wies jou QS’s dan Isi, gee die geheim asb?
11 Mar 2008, 21:32 pm
Cheers Duiwel, mag die engele met jou wees vanaand
11 Mar 2008, 21:34 pm
So long duiwel was just about to ask how the fishies are biting, seeing springs just about in the air over there should be like manna from heaven for you.
11 Mar 2008, 21:34 pm
Boerboel ek ontwikkel so op my ace. Bou en verkoop maar ek’s stadig maar seker besig om my gat te sien met hierdie ekonomie van ons.
Baie lee huise en nokkol kopers. Krediet wet maak kuk in my bedryf. Ek gaan vang sommer vis!
11 Mar 2008, 21:34 pm
ja,ja,Boerboel,
mag hulle my liewers net ignoreer.
11 Mar 2008, 21:37 pm
Neewat SS,
die wind het noord gewaai vandag
kon skaars 10m cast,
nie n byt nie,
gesien hoe kom n groot goue forel,argentyns,
tweekeer op my catswhisker af net om weg te swem.
Moet waai
annerdag.
11 Mar 2008, 21:37 pm
Isi, ja, die boubedryf het skielik verander. Eendag fokkol huise en baie kopers en nou net mooi andersom!
Ek koop van tyd tot tyd ‘n ou huis, maak hom reg en verkoop dan. Die een wat ek nou het is 50 jr oud. Ongelooflik hoe die ou mense gebou het.
11 Mar 2008, 21:38 pm
So jy kan vir my enige tyd laat raad gee Isi, jy en Boerboel, ek hoef nie Pennypinchers se Billcost te gebruik nou weer, net vir jou vra hoeveel bakstene ek nodig het hier op keo?
11 Mar 2008, 21:42 pm
Ig is with me
11 Mar 2008, 21:42 pm
Hi manne, sorry, gesprek is lekker, maar ek moet nou eers gaan.
Ek kan julle een tip gee, die geld lê nou in lae-koste behuising en die volgende stoot kom in die sogenaamde gap-housing mark.
11 Mar 2008, 21:43 pm
Skoppie daai programmetjie was al menigte ou se doodskoot, veral as daai Pennypincher mannetjies hom operate.
Kyk eers die material list baie goed deur. Vinnige opcheck is om die deure en vensters van die planne te tel, jy sal nie een keer kry dat dit reg is nie. Bly weg!
11 Mar 2008, 21:44 pm
Never had the patience for fishing.
skop, I work in IT. Just trying to make it sound glamorous
11 Mar 2008, 21:44 pm
tot weer Duiwel.
Bb/Isi ja, Die boubedryf is nou skielik stillerig na omtrent 4 jaar se styging daal dit nou skielik weer af, en die eskom besigheid help slegs glad ook nie, hulle staak nou baie nuwe projekte.
11 Mar 2008, 21:45 pm
Isi, ek stem, bereken liewer self!
11 Mar 2008, 21:51 pm
the Frogs are playing him at flanker because, FOR A SECOND DIVISION SIDE, he is the fittest and fastest guy around in the forwards. Even fitter and faster than the regular flankers. But ultimately his body size is not suited to ground work.
Its a concern that he is being played out of position, because this is going to screw with his game – he is getting used to the slower speed of the game at that level, and when he comes back, will take siome time to adjust to Bok level again. Watch him struggle in the internationals for a while after coming back.
11 Mar 2008, 21:51 pm
dankie vir die gooie tip Boerboel, sal dit opmerk,
Nag aan jou, goedgaan.
Isi ek werk die goed gewoonlik selfs uit maar partykeer raak ek bedonderd om die planne deur te check en gee dit aan daai PP billcost ouens toe, agterna, check ek dit weer selfs oor, en ja gewoonlik is hulle besonders mis met hulle rekeninge, vandag het die een ou sommer die bakstene uitgelos, net die lintels ens gegee sonder die bakstene in te sluit.
11 Mar 2008, 21:56 pm
Still dunno what a provisioning solution in the IT industry is but nevertheless I’m sure its mighty sophisticated and important, for you to be over there in cold miserable Poland,
hows it been there robd, must be interesting I guess?
11 Mar 2008, 21:58 pm
Skoppie ek ken Billcost baie goed en indien reg gebruik is dit ‘n goeie quick tool.
Indien jy eers al die defaults opgestel het, meet jy ‘n huis in ‘n kwessie van ure.
My sekretaresse manupileer die pryse en doen maandeliks ‘n materiaal prys inflasie. Help met vooruitskattings en hoef ek nie die kak te glo wat die regering ons wil verkoop rondom inflasie nie.
Cheers Boerboel
11 Mar 2008, 21:59 pm
I don’t like it. Warsaw is grey and depressing. Can’t wait to go home to God’s own country on Friday
11 Mar 2008, 22:01 pm
Victor made his choices, for better or for worse, sometimes money isn’t everything, should weigh up whether you going to be happy in the end after all, and also consider the consequences of the decision, nothing ever stays constant always curve balls to alter a course of action, its hardly ever what it seems at first glance and there are pro’s and cons to every choice.
11 Mar 2008, 22:03 pm
Not a huge Big Vic fan, to be honest.
11 Mar 2008, 22:05 pm
I wonder how much bad blood there really is between Vic and John S. Its an open secret that he thought he would be the next bok captain and that he left because his big scheme plan came apart.
Now he must come back and play under John S again!
Must be a bitter pill to swallow. He really must miss home terribly me thinks.
11 Mar 2008, 22:12 pm
Well Friday not too far off robd, you leave your loved ones behind when you traipse over there? I’m sure Poland’s a hard cold country, all that steel and tough industry they get up to, I think I got some of those Pole genes in my blood somewhere.
Ja Isi op my vlak werk wat ons gewoonlik doen kan ek die kleine jobs net gou selfs uitwerk, ek het klaar min of meer pryse gestel vir nat bouwerk ens op n m2 basis en my klein excel program doen dit reguit op my kwitansie toe, maar anderste vir die grote projekte het ek n meer volledige program nodig, miskien moet ek aan julle kom raad soek.
11 Mar 2008, 22:17 pm
I really wonder if naming JS as captain so early in the program was such a wise move by PdV, he may very well be third or fourth best hooker by the time the 3N comes round, and in this new faster game I have my doubts he will hold out for 80 mins, same goes for quite a few of the old guard.
11 Mar 2008, 22:21 pm
Skoppie prys per m2 op oppervlak is gevaarlik. Gou ‘n voorbeeld.
2 gebou elkeen 100 m2
Gebou 1 se mates 10m by 10m = dus 100 m2 en 40 liniêre meter (omtrek) mure
Gebou 2 se mates 50m by 2m =100 m2 maar 104 m se liniêre meter (omtrek ) mure.
Catch my drift?
11 Mar 2008, 22:21 pm
yeah, SS. Family is back in leafy West Kent
11 Mar 2008, 22:28 pm
Guys I’m off to la-la land.
See ya!
11 Mar 2008, 22:37 pm
236 ja heeltemaal reg Isi presies,
maar nogtans werk meestal bouers hier rond om waardes per m2 gemiddeld, ek werk meestal rekeninge uit nie op floer oppervlak mates maar op vertikale vlakte, in ander woorde ons meet eers die liniere mates uit en dan die m2 daarvan werk ek die koste uit, maars jy’s heeltemaal reg dis gevaarlik om net ‘rule of thumb’ te gebruik, al is dit soms in my soort besigheid min of meer naby genoeg om gou waardes uit te werk.
11 Mar 2008, 22:40 pm
sien jou weer Isi,
So I thought you were a eThekwini boytjie robd, meantime all along you hiding out in West Kent, like near to Tunbridge Wells, that area?
12 Mar 2008, 02:36 am
J Smit is also not playing under the new laws, which doesn’t give you a agood comparison of apples against apples. He may really suck at the new laws (lets face it, he ain’t the fastest)! Then again, he takes pressure off in the scrums..
12 Mar 2008, 09:34 am
Ryan, surely you are doing this to test me?
“….while is skill and athleticism in loose play is unmatched.”
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