Victor Matfield believes the All Blacks’ clash with the Stormers has given them a valuable taste of the rush defence they can expect when they face the Springboks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Many of the All Blacks would not have faced South African opposition regularly since the country’s sides left Super Rugby, leaving New Zealand with limited exposure to the defensive system that has become a Springbok trademark under Rassie Erasmus.
The Stormers are the only South African club involved in the All Blacks’ tour that employs a similar rush-defence system to that implemented by defence guru Jerry Flannery at the Boks, with Matfield saying the Vodacom Bulls, Sharks and Lions use different defensive philosophies.
Matfield believes the lessons learned from the Stormers clash will therefore be particularly valuable for New Zealand as they prepare for the Springboks.
“It will help the All Blacks to play these games before they get to South Africa. We don’t play each other in Super Rugby anymore, so there’s a lot that we don’t get that we usually would have got playing Super Rugby against each other,” Matfield explained on the Rugby Rivals podcast.
“For them, feeling that pressure [is good]; it’s one thing to make plans against that push defence …”
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Matfield knows exactly how difficult the system can be to deal with.
“I remember the first time when I played against it, it was the Welsh who started it under Shaun Edwards, and we thought we had plans, but I mean it’s just in your face,” he said.
“As you want to make a decision, someone is coming from the outside where you’re used to everything coming from the inside, and it’s difficult.
“But they get opportunities now to face it; they will feel it. It’s about getting a rhythm against it and just feeling that pressure now to handle it.”
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Photo: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images
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