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Matfield a cut above the rest

"Simply a cut above the rest, all South-African fans will be praying for his return before the World Cup. Du Preez is the most effective 9 in the world at controlling a game and from the arm-chair usually provided for him by his pack, he can single-handedly keep opposition teams penned in with his immaculate kicking game, or construct a path forward for his own team by intricately linking his forwards and backs. He rarely makes any sort of mistake and is a constant thorn in opposition teams, almost unplayable at times. South Africa’s World Cup triumph in 2007 was largely of Du Preez’s making." the Bleacher Report

"South Africa's Victor Matfield defined the modern second row: tall, powerful, mobile and with great hands.

During his 110-cap career with the Springboks, he formed a formidable second-row partnership with Bakkies Botha that played a crucial role in South Africa claiming the 2007 World Cup in France.

One moment from the 2007 final typifies what was great about Matfield, as he tracked back to prevent England centre Matthew Tait from scoring what could have been a match-turning try.

Needless to say, Matfield was named man of the match as the Boks registered their second World Cup triumph." the Blaecher report
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