‘i think He deserve it’ –The ex-lock Victor Matfield was on the voting panel that drew up the shortlist and he reveals which Springbok would win World Rugby Player of the Year Award

Springboks legend Victor Matfield has revealed who he thinks should be named as the World Rugby Player of the Year.

The ex-lock was on the voting panel that drew up the shortlist for the award along with Jacques Burger, Fiona Coghlan, Thierry Dusautoir, Drew Mitchell, Ugo Monye, Kieran Read, Melodie Robinson and Blaine Scully.

The panel narrowed down the candidates to four players, including three Springboks namely Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe as well as Ireland captain Caelan Doris.

Victor Matfield’s pick

All three South Africans have been nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year previously with Etzebeth doing so in 2013 and 2023 without winning the gong while Kolbe missed out to Du Toit in 2019.

Speaking on Supersport’s Final Whistle show, Matfield revealed who his pick would be as he decided between the three Bok players.

“All three of them deserve to be there and a guy like Ox probably needs to be there as well but there was only one South African on that selection panel,” Matfield said.

“Eben had a great year, and Cheslin in the last four games was outstanding, I mean just unbelievable how he keeps beating defenders and keeps making tries for South Africa.

“And in the modern game that’s why I think South Africa is so good because yes we have this brilliant set piece, we’ve got this dominant defence but you need game breakers. The games when Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse don’t play, it just feels like we are missing something – those two just bring something different where they can break through the defence from nothing.”

 

Matfield spoke glowingly of Kolbe but despite all his praise, it is Du Toit who the 2007 World Cup-winning second-rower believes should win the award.

“Cheslin had an unbelievable year but I think Pieter-Steph du Toit gets it just because of his consistency throughout the year, every game he’s there,” he continued.

“The two games that he came off the bench as well the impact that he had was unbelievable but I mean Cheslin what a player.

“I mean here [his first try against England], standing still and still side-stepping a guy and it’s not just on attack, he is brave on defence, excellent under the high ball – just an unbelievable player.”

 

Pieter-Steph du Toit has ‘reinvented’ the role of a blindside flanker

Matfield’s comments are not aligned with some of his former teammates as Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger with the latter backing Kolbe and the former hoping that it is not Du Toit.

But the lock’s fellow Final Whistle panellist John Mokuena – ex-Varsity Cup coach and former South African Sevens captain – agreed with Matfield’s pick.

Mokuena believes that Du Toit has changed the way modern-day blindside flankers (number sevens in South Africa) play the game.

“Pieter-Steph du Toit,” he said emphatically when asked who should win the award. “If you look at the way he plays compared to the profile or modern-day seven – he has reinvented the way you have to look at a seven.

“He has got a massive work rate, he is good in the lineouts, he can compete at the breakdown – so he brings so much more to a team rather than just being the big seven getting over the advantage line and making the big tackles.

“If you look at the way he applies himself in a match during 80 minutes – yes you have stats but there are certain things that you don’t see like how quickly he folds, fighting at the breakdown and making it slow. Those kind of things you almost can’t measure unless actually watch the game and you sit down and review it closely.

“For example that happened [his charge-down try against England], a lot of players would have just stopped there and slowed down but Pieter said I’m going to apply pressure, there’s an opportunity let’s stay on top of them. Then you have to you have to go back into the World Cup from last year, 29 tackles in the final that that wants to be done.”

If Du Toit is to win the award, he is unlikely to collect it in person after he left the Springboks squad to return to South Africa ahead of schedule after sustaining a shoulder niggle in the clash against England at Twickenham.

He has subsequently been rested for Rassie Erasmus’ side’s final game of the year against Wales in Cardiff.