Biography

Victor Matfield is widely considered as one of the best locks the world has ever seen. He  captained the Springboks, as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Bulls in Super Rugby. 

He was known for his success at disrupting opposition line-outs, which was a skill that was a cornerstone of the Springboks’ 2007 World Cup success, and he was crowned International Rugby Board player of the Rugby World Cup in that year. 

Victor Matfield was born on 11 May 1977 in Pietersburg (now Polokwane). He grew up in a sporting family and initially focused on cricket. When an injury affected his batting and bowling, he decided to pursue rugby and was selected for the Far North junior Craven Week team. He made it to the Craven Week competition for high schools in two successive years before being selected for Far North's senior provincial team while still in his final year of high school.

After school, he enrolled at the University of Pretoria where he made the university's U21 side.  It didn’t take long for him to be selected for the Blue Bulls under-21 side. 

A big turning point for Victor Matfield came when he decided to leave the Blue Bulls for the Griquas in 1999, during which time he was also selected to represent the Cats in the Super 12. The move allowed him to prove his worth, and in 2000 he was given the opportunity to represent the Bulls again.

His hard work did not go unnoticed, and in 2001 he was finally selected for the Springbok squad, making his debut at the age of 24 on 30 June 2001 against Italy.

Over the course of his career, Victor Matfield's accolades include winning the Currie Cup final three times (2002, 2004 & 2009), the Super 14 title in 2007, 2009 and 2010, the Tri-Nations in 2004 and 2009, the Rugby World Cup in 2007, and was inducted into the University of Pretoria Hall of Fame in 2008.

That year, he captained the first Springbok team to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand since England in 2003. 

He initially retired after the 2011 World Cup, leaving the game as the record Springbok cap holder, but returned after a two-year hiatus, signing a two-year playing contract with the Bulls for 2014 and 2015. 

With a record 127 tests under the belt, Victor Matfield is also a six-time nominee for the South African Rugby Player of the Year (2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011) and has been labelled the greatest lock in rugby history, and for good reason.

After the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Matfield joined and ended his rugby career at the English club Northampton Saints.