He may not be as dynamic all over the park as in days gone by, but Bulls lock Victor Matfield remains the lineout king in Super Rugby.
The Springbok captained the Bulls in their final tour match against the Force in Perth last week after regular skipper Flip van der Merwe was suspended for punching.
Matfield did not succeed in spurring his team-mates to a first victory on tour, but one area in which they dominated, was at lineout time.
Sport24
Matfield’s mere presence has made the Bulls the best lineout team in the competition in 2014 and last Saturday was no different.
They won 14 out of 15 on their own ball and stole the Force’s possession no less than 6 times.
The Bulls have been dominant in that department all year, and according to statistics released by Super Rugby’s official website, Matfield leads the competition with most lineout catches.
His 51 takes is 6 more than the second-places Ben Mowen (45) of the Brumbies, with Jake Schatz of the Reds third with 39 catches.
Sharks lock Stephan Lewies, who got his chance when Springbok Pieter-Steph du Toit was ruled out for the year with a knee injury, is fourth on the list with 35. The only other South African in the top 10 is Matfield’s Bulls team-mate, Flip van der Merwe, on 30.
The Bulls’ prowess in that department made one wonder, as the Australian commentators also noted at the time, why the Bulls weren’t content to kick into the corners more often in rain-soaked Perth last Saturday.
The hosts were clearly rattled in that department, and smarter tactical play by the Bulls when they were 6-0 up after 20-odd minutes, could have seen a different result on the night.
Instead, the Force fought their way back and in the end the Bulls missed too many tackles and knocked on far too often to deserve victory.
Matfield though, remains a big weapon due to his mastery of one particular area. Don’t be surprised to see him run out when the Boks play their first game this year…