Victor Matfield names the toughest All Blacks team he ever faced

Record Springboks caps holder Victor Matfield has named the toughest All Blacks side that he faced throughout his lengthy career. The retired 45-year-old took on New Zealand on 27 occasions during his 127 Test appearances, winning on just nine occasions, and he has chosen a bruising 2010 setback in Auckland as the sternest battle he had.

Matfield and the Springboks came into that Tri-Nations encounter having defeated the All Blacks three times in eight weeks during 20o9, winning in Bloemfontein, Durban and Hamilton, and a heavily South African-influenced Barbarians XV also went on to beat New Zealand at Twickenham later that year.

Revenge, though, was served up very cold the following July, the All Blacks blitzing the Springboks 32-12 at Eden Park to ignite the fightback that took them all the way to Rugby World Cup glory in 2011.

Matfield, who broke his nose for the first time in his career, was left looking dishevelled in a match where an early Bakkies Botha yellow card contributed to a bruising 20-3 interval scoreline that didn’t get any better in the second half.

Thirteen years later, Matfield still hasn’t forgotten. Appearing on the latest RugbyPass Offload, his memories of what took place in 2010 came flooding back when asked about his Springboks encounters with the All Blacks. “All of them were pretty tough,” he said.

“But my toughest game ever against New Zealand: we had beaten then in 2009, we had beaten them three times and had beaten them with the Barbarians. We pitched up in Auckland at Eden Park to play them. We were the same team that had beaten them the previous year and they just smashed us.

“I remember I broke my nose for the first time in my career, blood was coming down. I remember coming back to South Africa, the front page of Sports Illustrated and me being bloody. Now all of a sudden we are all too old and there needs to be change before the World Cup. But I must say that game, probably that team as well, from there they went on to 2011, that was a very good All Blacks side.”

The lengthy Matfield interview, during which he also named his best-ever Springboks XV, culminated in a quickfire round of questions:

RP: Best player you have ever played with?

VM: Bakkies Botha.

RP: Best player you have ever played against?

VM: Richie McCaw.

RP: Biggest fight you have witnessed in training?

VM: Bakkies and Danie Rossouw.

RP: Player who rubbed you up the wrong way the most in your career?

VM: Bakkies early days in South Africa and there was a guy in South Africa, Willem Stoltz who played for the Lions and the Stormers. His favourite thing was ripping my headgear off and throwing it into the stands. He was the worst guy.

RP: Three guys in a very large cab with you for the biggest party in your life?

VM: Fourie du Preez, Schalk Burger and Ali Williams.