Vodacom Super 14
Another milestone for Matfield
2010-03-15 19:37
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Victor Matfield (Gallo Images)
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Pretoria - With one milestone out of the way, Vodacom Bulls captain Victor Matfield will reach another one of Friday night when he plays his 100th Super 14 game against the Hurricanes at Loftus Versfeld.
Matfield captained the Bulls for the 50th time in their 50-35 victory over the Highlanders this last weekend and will reach this milestone just before his side heads on their four week overseas tour in defence of their Vodacom Super 14 title.
Matfield has played 91 times for the Bulls and 8 times for the Cats in an illustrious career which has made him possibly the best lineout jumper world rugby has seen.
Still, Matfield does not want his team-mates to concentrate on the milestone. For the Bulls captain, their congratulations can come in the form of a victory over the Hurricanes, much the same as the team handled his captaincy milestone last weekend.
“It is really easy for us to handle the emotion of such a milestone as a team. It is great for the players to get to those milestones, but we don’t worry about it in the week leading up to the game,” Matfield said.
“I don’t think it was mentioned once this week about my 50th. After the game the guys will say well done, but I know with the way they play, they’re saying well done. It is all about the team and not individuals, and it has never been for us, that is very important.”
The Bulls captain also dismissed talk that his side may be complacent as the Hurricanes were coming off two bad losses. But the amount of gamebreakers and quality of the opposition is enough for the Bulls to lift their performances this week, especially with the tour looming.
“If the Hurricanes play, you can never be complacent. It’s that simple,” Matfield laughed. “We all know what a big challenge they pose to any side with their game-breakers. After that we are touring and that is a massive challenge in itself. When we start touring we need to be in the right frame of mind.”
If the Bulls can keep up their 100 percent record and extend their Loftus Versfeld winning streak to 15 games this Friday, they will not only be looking good for a home semi-final, but they can celebrate another milestone for the Springbok great and give themselves a timely boost ahead of their four week tour.
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