'Head and shoulders above everyone': Matfield singles out two players in RGR series

Former South Africa captain Victor Matfield has singled out Springboks duo Malcolm Marx and Cheslin Kolbe for being “head and shoulders above everyone” in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, naming the hooker his player of the series.

The reigning World Rugby player of the year, Marx, featured in all four Tests, starting in three and coming on as a first-half substitute in the second Test. His work at the breakdown was decisive across the series, particularly in Cape Town, and he added a further two tries in the final two Tests, taking his tally to 29 in international rugby.

Kolbe, meanwhile, only played the first two Tests and 10 minutes of the third before breaking his jaw, which ruled him out of the contest in the United States.

The winger nevertheless made a lasting impact on the series, adding goalkicking to his bag of tricks, knocking over all 11 of his kicks in the first two Tests.

Matfield, speaking on his Rugby Rivals podcast, was full of praise for the pair following the series win, saying “everything they did was just spot on.”

“I think Malcolm Marx was an outstanding player,” the 2007 World Cup winner said. “Cheslin Kolbe until he got injured. I think the two of them were just head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch. Everything they did was just spot on.

“We actually saw in the second half, they struggled a little bit even at scrum time, lineout, when Malcolm went off. Look, Deon is fantastic at the breakdown, but he doesn’t quite have that physicality when it comes to scrum and, I mean, doesn’t play hooker often, so he was a bit under pressure.

“But yeah, Malcolm Marx just standing up. I mean, he was [World Rugby player of the year] last year and he just keeps delivering every weekend, if it’s at the breakdown, carry, at the back of a maul, making the right decisions.

“So for the series it’s definitely Malcolm Marx.”