‘It’s a great squad’ — Matfield backs Boks ahead of UK tour

Springbok great Victor Matfield is expecting an exciting end-of-year tour for the Boks as they prepare to take on Wales, Scotland and England over three weeks in November.

A very similar squad to the one that did business in the recent Rugby Championship was named for the UK tour, with lock Salmaan Moerat the only new face and one of only two players, along with Grant Williams, who have not picked up a Bok cap yet.

Matfield is happy with the squad and believes it is a good group to build on looking towards the 2023 World Cup.

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“I think it’s a great squad. I think the pressure is also a little bit off the team, so I would like to see one or two of the younger guys getting an opportunity to show their talent,” said Matfield.

“I think the core squad is there with the World Cup under two years away, so it would be good to give a couple of youngsters a chance while keeping the core of the team the same.”

Matfield is also impressed with the form of budding young talent Moerat and believes he can add to the impressive Bok lock stocks, with a good future ahead of him.

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“We’ve got some great locks at the moment. It’s a very strong department for us and he (Moerat) adds to that strength,” said Matfield.

“He’s a talented youngster and he’s a leader as well, so I think he will make a big impact in the team.”

The locally and Japanese based Springboks are currently on a week-long training camp in France. They will be joined by the France and UK based Boks in Wales on Sunday, where the full squad will have a week to prepare for the start of the tour.

The Boks play Wales on November 6 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Scotland on November 13 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, and England on November 20 at Twickenham in London.