VIDEO: Matfield reveals his ideal Bok coaching panel

By Jan de Koning

Tuesday 30 Jun 2020

IN CONVERSATION WITH VICTOR MATFIELD: South Africa has some amazing coaching talent - as three World Cup victories can attest to.

And every coach has his favourite sidekicks.

The backroom staff are not as well remembered as the head coaches - Kitch Christie, Jake White and Rassie Erasmus.

Yet they form part of a cohesive team.

South Africa’s most-capped lock Victor Matfield, speaking to historian and author Dean Allen – as part of a hugely popular weekly fund-raising effort for the Chris Burger and Petro Jackson Players Fund – shared his thoughts on what will make his ideal coaching panel.

Matfield famously turned down the Bulls coaching position last year, but told Allen he has not given up on his dream coaching the Boks one day.

* Next up: Dean Allen in conversation with Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira

"I love rugby," Matfield told Allen, adding: "I will always have a passion [for the game].

"At some stage, I would definitely like to coach."

Matfield, South Africa's most capped player with 127 Tests, said when he was the head coach job at the Bulls last year, he turned it down, because he did not feel it was the correct time.

"Let's hope that one day I get the opportunity, with the right guys, to come back.

"[Munster coach] Johann van Graan and I are really close.

"Hopefully one day, when he gets back to South Africa [from Ireland], there will be an opportunity to join him.

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"He [Van Graan], Fourie du Preez and I are best mates.

"We still believe we will get the opportunity somewhere to do something special.

"Hopefully one day [we can] coach the Springboks still."

Matfield also spoke about he feels is the best way to face the famous All Black Haka.

* Don't miss the next great chat: Dean Allen in conversation with Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira

Matfield revealed that former Bok coach Rudolph Straeuli always wanted to 'combat' the Haka.

"[The approach was] let's sing something, let's do something.

"In my experience, it was the most amazing thing to face.

"[I felt we should] stand there and soak it up. It probably motivates us more than them. They do it every week and we only do it [faced it] once or twice a year.

"At first we wanted to do something, but by the end of my career it was a case of: 'This is an amazing thing to face'.

"We decided to respect it, look at it, soak it up and motivate yourself."

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