Springbok great Victor Matfield has described the current South African team as the “greatest we have ever had” ahead of a highly anticipated four-Test series against arch-rivals New Zealand.
The first clash between the Springboks and All Blacks takes place on Saturday, with the four-match series set to continue across Johannesburg, Cape Town and Baltimore in the United States.
The rivalry pits two of international rugby’s most successful nations against each other. South Africa have won the last two Rugby World Cups, while New Zealand claimed the two tournaments before that. Together, the sides have secured seven of the 10 World Cup titles.
The Springboks have also won the past two Rugby Championship tournaments, while New Zealand dominated the competition in its earlier years, claiming nine of the previous 11 editions.
The teams have met 110 times since their first Test in Dunedin in 1921. New Zealand have won 63 encounters, South Africa 43, with four matches ending in draws.
Matfield, who helped the Springboks win the 2007 Rugby World Cup and formed a renowned second-row partnership with Bakkies Botha, believes South Africa’s ability to win even when they are not at their best is one of their greatest strengths.
“The Springboks always find a way to win,” the 49-year-old former lock, now a television analyst and podcaster, said.
He pointed to South Africa’s recent 17-10 victory over Argentina as an example, admitting the team had not produced its best performance.
“The Springboks did not play well, they made a lot of mistakes, but they succeeded,” Matfield said.
Only two players who started that Argentina Test, fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and veteran lock Eben Etzebeth, retain their places in the starting XV against New Zealand.
Head coach Rassie Erasmus faced a difficult decision in selecting his fly-half, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu chosen ahead of Manie Libbok and two-time World Cup winner Handre Pollard.
“It is always a tough call. Sacha has done wonderful things when he plays for us. He was the fly-half last year when we beat them,” Erasmus said.
Libbok will start on the bench, while Pollard misses out altogether.
Erasmus acknowledged the significance of the opening Test and admitted to feeling nervous ahead of the series.
“It is a massive Test series, and how we start is very important. There is time to come back, but it is always better to win the first one,” he said.
World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit will captain the Springboks in place of regular skipper Siya Kolisi, who has been given additional time to recover from a hamstring injury.
New Zealand, meanwhile, are beginning a new era under head coach Dave Rennie, who took over from Scott Robertson in March.
Rennie admitted his team is still learning as it looks to re-establish New Zealand’s dominance in world rugby. He also faced difficult selection decisions before naming his side shortly before South Africa announced their team.
“There have been a lot of guys in good form, massive competition for places, and there were a handful of spots that took a fair bit of discussion. I mean the second row especially,” Rennie said.
The All Blacks have made just one change to the team that defeated Ireland convincingly in Auckland last month, with Fabian Holland replacing Patrick Tuipulotu at lock.
The four-Test contest has been branded the “Greatest Rivalry”, with organisers describing it as “a series like no other”.
A new trophy has also been introduced for the series. The trophy consists of two magnetic halves, allowing it to be physically split and shared should the series finish level.