Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts feels the excellent condition that veteran stand-in-captain Victor Matfield finds himself in may be attributable to his time spent away from the rugby field.

Matfield returned to international rugby against Wales over the past weekend, putting a superb shift in as the Boks secured a comfortable 38-16 win.

The 37-year-old, who retired from the game following the 2011 World Cup, made his 111th appearance, and 18th as captain in the win over the Dragons, subsequently becoming the oldest Springbok captain in history.

The previous oldest Springbok skipper was Boy Morkel, who was 36 years and 258 days when he captained South Africa in 1921.

Matfield, who will be 37 years and 40 days on Saturday in the second test against Wales, should also become the oldest Springbok ever.

“At the moment Victor is in remarkably good shape. There is no medical reason to pull him off the field. I am happy with him playing the full 80 minutes. Of course, he had a long break building up to this,” said Roberts.