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Bok Matfield hails All Blacks before SA clash
AFP - Saturday, July 25
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - - Springbok lock Victor Matfield has hailed the All Blacks ahead of their Tri-Nations clash in Bloemfontein Saturday.
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The 83-cap veteran from Pretoria says facing New Zealand represents the greatest challenge for South Africa, reigning world champions after a 15-6 victory over England in the 2007 Paris final.
"For any Springbok they are the opponents you most want to play against and most want to beat. Everything about our battles with them is special," the vice-captain told reporters in this central city.
Matfield said New Zealand and Australia are the ultimate tests for the Boks, well ahead of the British and Irish Lions who lost a Test series 2-1 in South Africa this month.
"What made the Lions series special was the fact that we play them only once every 12 years. You only get to face them once in your career so you want to beat them when you do."
Matfield stressed that the Boks will have to raise the level of their game from the Lions series as they make their season debut in the southern hemisphere championship at 42,000-seat Vodacom Park.
"This is the toughest competition in the world. New Zealand and Australia are the teams you measure yourself against. They are the teams you have who defeat to be number one."
The 32-year-old master forward shares with Bok coach Peter de Villiers a reluctance to accept being favourites to defeat the All Blacks, who won the opening match last weekend against Australia 22-16 in Auckland.
"New Zealand have come to South Africa in recent years and achieved some good wins on the Highveld, but altitude is a factor so we must look to apply continuous pressure," he said.
Matfield, whose lock partnership with man mountain Bakkies Botha is rated the best in the world, said being a World Cup, Tri-Nations and Super 14 winner has not lessened his hunger for glory.
"In my eight years of playing for the Boks I have won only one Tri-Nations title so it would be nice to get another and that means winning our three home games before travelling to Australasia."
South Africa have a poor Tri-Nations record, finishing last in the previous three seasons of a championship dominated by the All Blacks with nine titles from 13 attempts.
The Boks have made two enforced changes from the side that edged the Lions 28-25 to seal the series with Jaque Fourie replacing injured centre Adrian Jacobs and Heinrich Brussow taking over from suspended flanker Schalk Burger.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry also made two changes from the Auckland starting line-up with Joe Rokocoko in for Cory Jane on the right wing and Brendon Leonard preferred to Jimmy Cowan at scrum-half.
Much is expected from the revived Bok centre partnership of Fourie and Munster-bound Jean de Villiers while veteran Rokocoko needs one try to equal the record against South Africa of 10 by Christian Cullen.
Although Bloemfontein will be hosting the All Blacks for only the third time, the Test is unlikely to draw a capacity crowd with cheapest tickets cut from 53 dollars to 37 to try and woo spectators.
Officials fear supporters of the green and gold are also angry at recent events, including De Villiers publicly defending the eye gouging of Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald by Burger.
South Africa and New Zealand square off again next weekend in Durban followed by a visit to Cape Town from the Wallabies seven days later, offering the world champions a chance to build a healthy lead on the standings.
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