Springboks legend Victor Matfield lets slip that two Lions are ‘standouts’ for World Rugby Player of the Year
British and Irish Lions forwards Tadhg Beirne and Maro Itoje, with an inset of Springboks legend Victor Matfield.
Springboks legend Victor Matfield has revealed two frontrunners for the World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year Award ahead of the November internationals.
The Autumn Nations Series will be a last chance saloon for players to stake their claim for the title of the best player in the world, which Pieter-Steph du Toit currently holds.
The Springboks back-rower won the award for the second time last year, but could relinquish the title in 2025 with Matfield letting slip that two British and Irish Lions players are ‘probably’ the standout candidates.
Matfield is part of the committee that will decide the winner of the award, having done so previously with fellow legends Jacques Burger, Drew Mitchell, Sergio Parisse and Kieran Read, to name just a few.
Leading candidates for the World Rugby Player of the Year Award
The former second-rower disclosed two of the frontrunners, as things stand, on the Rivals podcast when discussing the lack of change in the Ireland squad ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.
Ireland boss Andy Farrell has stuck with a large Leinster contingent in his squad despite the province’s struggles early in the season and Munster’s thumping victory in the week of the announcement. Ulster won their opening four games of the season before falling to a defeat to the Lions.
There has been an outcry from the fans once again due to the lack of other representation, but Matfield sees it as a positive.
“If you want to be double World Cup champions, you need to give guys opportunities,” he joked with former Ireland winger Andrew Trimble, also on the podcast.
“It’s good what’s happening in Ireland. If you look at the last few years, Leinster were just on another level to the other club teams.
“Munster weren’t performing at the level that they wanted to; Ulster and Connacht weren’t there either. All of a sudden, there are new players coming through, new people pushing for positions. For Irish Rugby, it could be a good thing. There are a few of these guys who will probably be going to their third or fourth World Cup now, and you need those new guys to be coming through.”
Trimble had just sung Munster captain Tadhg Beirne’s praises before Matfield weighed in, and the former Springbok added even more praise before letting slip that the British and Irish Lions star and teammate from the tour to Australia, Finn Russell, are among the frontrunners for the World Rugby Player of the Year Award.
“A guy like Tadhg Beirne is just unbelievable,” he continued.
“I’m on that committee that selects the player of the year, and he’s definitely right up there, probably with Finn Russell, at this stage.
“They are probably the two guys standing out the most.”
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Matfield warns that Farrell’s continued reliance on the tried and tested might become an issue for Ireland, but understands the reasoning, as Rassie Erasmus’ selection policy, where he has heavily rotated, won’t work for every team.
“I think it’s good for Irish Rugby, but it might be a difficult situation for Farrell at Ireland as well, because I played in an era where you knew who the number one choice was, and all the other guys in the squad knew it too,” the Bok legend added.
“Rassie changed that with the Springboks, where no one actually knows who’s going to start on a Saturday; you just get yourself ready to wear the jersey on the weekend, it’s a different mindset.
“It’s working for us, but in some cases, for some teams, it’s very difficult when you’re not sure who’s the number one and who’s the number two. It can be an interesting time for Ireland.”
The former lock, who retired as the most capped Springbok of all-time, a record that Eben Etzebeth has since broken, also weighed in on the make-up of Ireland’s second-row.
Matfield says that he wouldn’t play Beirne in the second-row even in the absence of Joe McCarthy, who has been left out of the squad due to injury.
“I like Joe McCarthy; he’s very important for them, and I wouldn’t play Beirne in the second-row. I think he is an out-and-out six. His carrying ability, his speed on the ground,” he said.
“So, when Joe McCarthy is there, they’re a different team as well. So, he’s really important for them, but he’s injured at the moment.”
