Springbok lock Victor Matfield will celebrate his 100th Test appearance in the Tri-Nations encounter against Australia on Saturday surrounded by 60 000 familiar faces … his own.
The 33-year-old Springbok vice-captain will become the third player from his country to reach a century of caps when he steps out on his home field of Loftus Versfeld, and his sponsors have ensured the occasion will be marked in unique style.
Masks depicting the bearded line-out specialist will be handed to all spectators arriving at the stadium in Pretoria, and Matfield is looking forward to joining skipper John Smit and kicking coach Percy Montgomery as South African Test centurions.
“It will be great to play my 100th Test at Loftus, it has been a great place for me. It’s like a second home, I have a lot of friends there and I’ve had some unbelievable times there,” Matfield told reporters on Friday.
“The team were already wearing some of the masks on the bus, which was a bit scary. It’s going to be very special playing at Loftus and with the crowd and the field, hopefully it can inspire us to win because that’s what’s most important.”
‘You can never say never’
New Zealand clinched the Tri-Nations with a 29-22 victory over South Africa in Johannesburg last week and while Matfield is hoping the hosts can end a run of four straight defeats this weekend, he is already planning a future away from the pitch.
“I think the [2011] World Cup will be the last of me, I’ll play no more than that. You can never say never but at the moment that’s the decision,” Matfield said.
“I hope after my playing career that I will keep in the game because this is my passion, rugby is my life,” he added.
“I’m still involved with the Boland Rugby Union but I’m not sure I’ll go into coaching there immediately, I’ll probably stay behind the scenes but make rugby decisions.
“But I am still playing, so those sort of decisions will only be made next year.” — Reuters