Victor Matfield Admits 'Definite Little Gap' in Springboks Depth After Australia Loss
- Springboks legend Victor Matfield weighed in on South Africa's 42-38 defeat to the Wallabies in Perth after Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes
- Matfield pointed to the third-choice front row and fourth-choice scrum-half starting in Perth as key factors in the result
- The former lock raised concerns about what the squad rotation means for South Africa's Nations Championship campaign in Europe
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Springboks legend Victor Matfield has acknowledged that last Sunday's loss to Australia exposed a meaningful gap in depth within Rassie Erasmus' squad, admitting the result revealed that some players handed an opportunity did not take it.
The Springboks fell 42-38 to the Wallabies in Perth on 28 September 2026, after trailing 42-17 before a late rally. The heavy defeat came 13 days after South Africa clinched a 3-1 series victory over the All Blacks in Baltimore on 12 September, with Erasmus electing to rotate heavily for the Perth fixture, making 13 changes to his starting XV.
Why Erasmus Made So Many Changes
Matfield was clear that the mass rotation was not a sign of overconfidence from the head coach. Speaking on Rugby Rivals, the retired lock said Erasmus had deliberately focused his best players on the New Zealand series and used the Australia match to assess his fringe squad members.
"He has always had belief in his squad," Matfield said.
"I just think if you look at certain positions, especially the front-row, it wasn't our second front-row, it was our third front-row. And a few other positions as well at scrum-half as well, it was our fourth-choice scrum-half."
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The third-choice front row Matfield referred to consisted of Zachary Porthen, Johan Grobbelaar and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, while Herschel Jantjies started at scrum-half. Matfield noted that several of those players had also gone five weeks without match time before the Perth Test, compounding the difficulty.
"It was difficult, but the Australians were good," he added.
Gap Between Experience and Youth a Concern
Matfield was candid about what the result revealed about South Africa's player pool ahead of the Nations Championship's European leg, which includes away Tests against Italy, France and Ireland before finals weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
"There's definitely a little gap between that very experienced team that's been through so many things and the new kids coming through," he said.
He also reflected on the mental state of the squad during the build-up to the Perth match, suggesting the team had mentally relaxed after the intensity of the All Blacks series.
"If you're five per cent off your game mentally then it's very difficult to win a game," he said.
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Source: Briefly News
