Victor Matfield sparks ‘rumours’ of controversial Springboks B-team plan as ‘scheming’ Rassie Erasmus lists his priorities
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and former record cap holder Victor Matfield.
Springboks legend Victor Matfield has “heard” that the Springboks will be sending a weakened squad to the northern hemisphere later this year.
In a move which would resemble France’s controversial decision to rest their star players for the July Tests, the former record cap holder has suggested that Rassie Erasmus may have greater priorities in 2026 than the Nations Championship.
It is set to be a huge 12 months for the Boks with The Greatest Rivalry series, which includes four Tests against the All Blacks, the most anticipated games of the year.
Springboks’ busy schedule
They are therefore set for a busy schedule and it appears as though the upcoming Nations Championship, which takes place in July and November, is low down on Erasmus’ list.
“I don’t how important it’s going to be for the coaches. I’ve heard there might be a South African B side going over at the end of the year. I don’t know if it’s true, I’ve just heard rumours,” Matfield said on the Rivals podcast.
“Someone just told me. It’s something to do with the league points and where you finish. I just heard it but let’s see what happens.”
Matfield did not want to commit further but that prompted ex-Ireland star Andrew Trimble, who joined him on the show, to quip: “Rassie’s done the sums, he’s got something up his sleeve again, he’s always scheming isn’t he?”
While nothing has obviously been confirmed, there is possibly foundation to the rumours given Erasmus’ comments after the 2025 November series.
The Springboks boss always works in four-year cycles and his priority is very much the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
That could mean sacrificing the Nations Championship by trying out some younger or fringe players in November and playing his strongest squads in the home July Tests and The Greatest Rivalry series.
Rassie’s Nations Championship verdict
“My head is more towards not chasing the Nations Cup and risk not being ready for 2027. The World Cup is 18 months out. I think you must start focusing on the World Cup,” Erasmus said in December 2025.
“You want to try and win every single game [in 2026] but will it be the end of the world if you don’t win the Nations Cup?
“We are trying to build our team and be a really competitive team who can win it in 2027. But you can lose that sort of favourite tag very quickly if you have a bad year the year before the World Cup. You don’t want to be punch drunk next year [by] December. You want to make sure your players who you can pick for the next year can win [the World Cup].
“We won’t take any game lightly but I think we will be willing to take a few shots and maybe an uppercut and say, okay guys, we’ve rolled the dice but world ranking isn’t important this year.
“Would you rather, in a year before the World Cup, lift the Nations Cup trophy or be ready for the World Cup? That’s a difficult thing to handle. And then the Greatest Rivalry starts next year. That’s massive for us as well.”
