Matfield targets Cane as the mind games begin

Springboks great Victor Matfield has heaped more pressure on struggling All Blacks skipper Sam Cane, questioning whether the flanker ‘‘is up to it’’.

Cane leads a desperate All Blacks team looking to change its fortunes with the toughest of assignments – back to back tests in South Africa.

Matfield felt Ireland’s historic series win in New Zealand had emphasised the sluggish All Blacks’ defence and saw Cane as a culprit.

‘‘They are still struggling to decide on their best loose-forward combination. Sam Cane is the captain, but I’m not sure he’s up to it at the moment – in terms of getting over the ball, stealing the ball, slowing it down,’’ Matfield, a World Cup-winning lock who played 127 tests for South Africa, told BokSquad.

‘‘All of that contributes to a team’s defence. They are not really stopping the opposition from getting quick ball. They are allowing the opposition to get a quick recycle at the ruck and to launch a multiphase attack.’’

Cane was substituted late in the decisive third test against Ireland as the All Blacks lost but has kept the faith of his coach Ian Foster, who is also under immense pressure.

The hits keep coming though and doubts on the New Zealand skipper were always likely to surface in South Africa where mind games are part of their rugby psyche.

Matfield felt the Springboks had an advantage in this key defensive area that they needed to maximise to set up attacking options in the opening Rugby Championship clash at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday.

‘‘The New Zealand defence has been one of the slowest in terms of coming off the line. That is what gave the Ireland attack a lot of opportunity over the course of that series,’’ he said.

‘‘New Zealand don’t have the best defence at the moment. The Boks can run at them – and I’m not talking about running from deep within our own half. If we get into their half, we can build through our forwards, and we can come round the corner.

‘‘Once we set the platform, we can play a few options. That is how you can build momentum against them.’’

Meanwhile, Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber has named an imposing pack, including “warrior” hooker Malcolm Marx to start in his 50th test on Sunday.

It is an experienced, as well as physical, Boks pack with a collective 449 test caps to their name. Marx will have the accomplished Trevor Nyakane and Frans Malherbe bookending him at prop, 100-cap Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager in behind in the second row, while skipper Siya Kolisi forms an outstanding loose trio alongside Pieter-Steph du Toit and the rising Jasper Wiese.