by Amanda on Dec 19th, 2011
Retired Springbok lock Victor Matfield spoke to Rugby 365 following the launch of his autobiography, Victor: My Journey. Sharing his insights into the game, Matfield says that modern players are “robotic” and don’t understand the underlying principles behind the game. He also says that the Springboks don’t need a foreign coach because there are enough talented couches in South Africa who understand how important rugby is for the country. The interview is in four parts:
Recently retired Springbok vice-captain Victor Matfield has laid the debate about New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence’s World Cup quarterfinal performance to rest.
The legendary Bok lock, who retired from all forms of the game after captaining the Barbarians against Australia last Saturday, said he felt Lawrence had “frozen”, rather than “cheated” – as has been suggested in some quarters – when the Wallabies beat the Boks 11-9 in their World Cup quarterfinal encounter in October.
South Africa have enough coaches to make the Springboks the best team in the world and don’t need foreigners.
This is the frank and candid view of retired Springbok vice-captain Victor Matfield, who believes that SA has enough coaching talent at home not to bother with imports.
With incumbent Peter de Villiers’s four-year term coming to an end this month, the search for a new Bok coach is on. And the South African Rugby Union have revealed they will head-hunt the next Bok mentor.
Retired Springbok lock Victor Matfield believes too many modern players are ‘robotic’ and simply don’t understand the game.
Matfield, a great supporter of structures, believes that too many players make no effort to understand why they do certain things within those structures.
Regarded as one of the best analytical minds within South Africa, if not the entire rugby world, the 110-Test cap veteran said South Africa have always had some of the best talent in the world.
Victor Matfield has a dream to one day coach the Springboks to World Cup glory. But that journey will start as a consultant with the Bulls next year.
The recently-retired Bok lock is determined to start at the bottom; to take small steps and work his way to the top. Just like he did with his playing career.
Matfield, speaking to this website in an interview to mark the Cape Town launch of his book, Victor: My Journey, said it would be a “great privilege” to one day coach the Springboks.
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by Amanda on Dec 8th, 2011
Last week, rugby player Victor Matfield launched his autobiography, Victor: My Journey, at the One&Only in Cape Town. Random House Struik shared a gallery of photographs taken at the launch on their Facebook page:
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by Amanda on Dec 5th, 2011
Today we bring you an extract from Zulu Zulu Golf: Life and Death with Koevoet, the true story of Arn Durand’s first years with police counter-insurgency unit, Koevoet. The extract is courtesy Namibiana Buchdepot:
Fill your head with Marxist communist ideologies. Pick up an RPG-7, an AK-47 and some landmines and hand grenades, put on a Cuban or Chinese camouflage uniform and march across the border of another country. Shoot and kill the locals who don’t support your ideas. Abduct the schoolchildren at gunpoint, march them to your training bases to indoctrinate them and fill their heads with your bullshit to force them to do what you are doing. You’re looking for shit and you’re bound to get your head blown off and those crap ideas spilt out all over the fine white sand. Who the fuck were SWAPO and its military wing, PLAN, to do what they were doing? I was going to stop them, not because I was told to or forced to, but because I chose to fight and to show that the enemy could not be allowed to do what it was doing. I was young, dumb and full of testosterone. Never mind what was right and what was wrong. No one had the right to do what they were doing ánd someone needed to stop the enemy. The world screamed, the world condemned, but fuck the world. If only the world knew the truth.
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by Amanda on Dec 5th, 2011
Join Bambi Kellermann, the sister of the famous Evita Bezuidenhout, for the launch of her shocking tell-all biography, Never Too Naked.
Tonight, Bambi will be entertaining guests at Exclusive Books, V&A Waterfront at 6.00 for 6.30 PM.
Don’t miss Bambi in action!
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by Amanda on Dec 5th, 2011
Last week, Victor Matfield launched his autobiography, Victor: My Journey (Victor: My reis), at the One&Only Cape Town‘s Isola Bar, where Matfield and co-author, De Jongh Borchardt, were joined by a wealth of rugby fans and dignatories.
Matfield and Borchardt were in conversation with journalist and author, Tobie Wiese, who initiated a discussion on the origins of the book.
Having decided to retire at the end of this year, Matfield reflected on how he’d achieved many of his goals. He felt he had something to say, to young rugby players in particular, about the challenges one faces in the spotlight. Matfield said that, when he became professional, he suddenly had more money, more girls and more parties to go to than any of his friends. There were lots of temptations but also many pitfalls.
Apart from what he wanted to say about rugby, Matfield expressed the hope that he could help youngsters with the decisions they would be making on and off the field.
Matfield had confidence in Borchardt ability to facilitate the telling of his story. Additionally, they are both Blue Bulls supporters which counted for a bit. De Jongh interviewed Matfield over many hours, transcribing and transforming the sessions into the bulk of the narrative. Many interviews were done at the Matfield home with children present and some under particularly challenging conditions – one interview occurred in the midst of a stork party!
When Matfield’s touring schedule escalated with the Tri-Nations, the Super Rugby tournament and the World Cup the format changed. Matfield replaced the digital voice recorder with pen and laptop. Much of the second part was written at airports and in planes, with Borchardt picking up the editing. Tobie Wiese, edited the Afrikaans manuscript, adding new questions for the team of writers to explore.
Wiese recalled the incident when Matfield was called in by Jake White. White reprimanded Matfield for his showmanship and limelight seeking, and complained about his long hair and flashy cars. Matfield was astounded, tried to defend himself and looked to Blue Bulls coach, Heyneke Meyer, for support. According to Wiese, “Meyer explained to the White that Matfield was the most dedicated player on the team, but then turned to Matfield and said, ‘But I agree with Jake about the publicity seeking, it’s detrimental to the team.’ This episode was a turning point for Matfield. He sensed they were right and this realisation is embodied in the chapter ‘A look in the mirror’.”
Wiese spoke with great respect of this sharing. “He didn’t have to include this in the book. Only the three of them knew of the incident. This endearing incident reveals his lack of ego. It was a self-deprecating story, that truly shows his great character.”
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Liesl Jobson tweeted from the launch using #livebooks:
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