Former Springbok Vice Captain Victor Matfield has played down talk of a comeback to playing Springbok rugby if his former mentor Heyneke Meyer is named Springbok coach.
Meyer is the favourite to be named Springbok coach on Friday this week and Matfield has enormous respect for Meyer from the time that he played under him at the Bulls.
Matfield retired from playing Springbok rugby at the end of the Rugby world cup last year after 110 caps and captaining the Bulls to three Super Rugby titles as well as Currie Cup titles.
His final game was for the Barbarians against Australia in November last year.
The thirty-four-year-old lock has now started coaching for the Bulls and has a contract with broadcaster SuperSport as an analyst and commentator for their rugby coverage.
Earlier this week Matfield was asked by The Star newspaper to comment on Heyneke Meyer’s potential appointment as Springbok coach and his comments led to him being linked to a playing comeback.
“Everyone knows what I think about Heyneke, but we must wait until Friday (tomorrow) before we talk about it.”
“Let’s wait and see what happens, we will talk. Everything has consequences. ”
“Playing? I don’t know but we will see. It depends if he wants me. I really don’t know, it is difficult to say …,” Matfield said.
Matfield’s commitments would rule out a full time playing role and he immediately shot down the comments implying that his comments on playing had been taken out of context.
“Like I’ve always said. Don’t believe everything you read in the paper.” said Matfield on his Twitter account.
What is more likely is that Matfield would join Meyer but as the Springboks line out coach as he is renowned for his planning of the Bok line out.
Worryingly for the Bulls if Meyer is appointed as Springbok coach a number of other Bulls backroom staff may follow him such as defence coach John McFarland and forwards coach Johann van Graan.