Matfield praises Baby Boks

Springbok skipper Victor Matfield has praised the Junior Springbok squad for their impressive 33-24 win over their All Black counterparts at North Shore Stadium in Auckland on Friday.

Matfield, who was speaking at the press conferende ahead of the Boks’ friendly match against the World XV in Newlands on Saturday, admits he was inspired by the set play from the exciting young side.

“As we saw in that game, the set-pieces are what everything revolves around and if you can get good set-piece ball you are on the front foot and are in a good position to play attacking rugby,” said Matfield.

“What was good about the game was that it showed the work that Rassie Erasmus (SA Rugby Union Performance Director) and Heyneke Meyer are doing in ensuring that all the national teams play the same way. The Junior Boks played with great passion and commitment and it was good to see.”

Matfield added that the reason behind their continuously improving display was the fact that the Bab Boks had started to get used to the winning feeling.

“The more the youngsters win in New Zealand, the more the belief just grows and grows. Every time we win against them, we just grow from strength to strength and get better and better,” he added.

“What was particularly pleasing about this game is that although it was not played at Eden Park, it was played in Auckland. So hopefully that is something that will give these youngsters confidence when they play there in the future and will prove to them that they are capable of winning anywhere.”