Senior Rugby Career
A big turning point in Matfield's career came when he decided to leave the Blue Bulls for the Griquas in 1999, where he was also selected to represent the Cats in the Super 12 that year. The move allowed him to prove his worth, and in 2000 he was given the opportunity to represent the Bulls Super 12 team.
His hard work did not go unnoticed, and in 2001 he was finally selected for the Springbok squad, making his debut on 30 June 2001 against Italy. Matfield went on to help the Springboks' renaissance in 2004 and 2005; in the latter year, he made the five-man shortlist for IRB World Player of the Year.
Matfield was an instant selection for South Africa's 2007 World Cup winning-squad, and won the Man of the Match award in the final for his brilliant work in the line-out and, in a show of fine all-round skill, he even put in a perfect cross-field touch-finding kick!
Matfield had been linked with a move to Leicester Tigers of the English Premiership after the 2007 Rugby World Cup. However, in June 2007, he signed a six-month contract with French second division club Toulon, which he will join on 1 January 2008. At Toulon, he joined an ambitious side whose president Mourad Boudjellai signed many veteran superstars for the 2007–08 season, such as Australian George Gregan, the sport's all-time leader in international appearances; Andrew Mehrtens, the all-time leading scorer for the All Blacks; and, as coach, former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga.
Eventually, Matfield played for Toulon in a stretch of nine key fixtures in Jan-Feb 2008, then returned to South Africa and played for the Bulls in the 2008 Super 14. Matfield's main concern was reported to be that the South African Rugby Union had not decided whether to continue with its policy of allowing a limited number of overseas-based players to play for the Springboks.
Matfield has won the Currie Cup final three times ('02, '04 & '09 having been on World Cup duty in '03 when Bulls won and withdrawn from Currie Cup action in '06 by the then Springbok coach Jake White when the Bulls shared the cup), the Super 14 title in 2007, 2009 and 2010, the Tri-Nations in 2004 and 2009 and the Rugby World Cup in 2007. Matfield retired from the Springboks after the 2011 World Cup, and intimated he would consider a coaching career in Australia, perhaps with the NSW Waratahs.
Read more about this topic: Victor Matfield
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