A bombshell revelation or mind games ahead of next week’s encounter? Rassie Erasmus is one of rugby’s most eccentric characters. From his traffic light distractions at this autumn’s Rugby World Cup to his box-office Twitter shenanigans, the Springbok head coach dominates the back pages whenever his side are involved. The Springboks got off to a […]

2 years ago

“I loved him as a player.” Paul O’Connell was one of the fiercest competitors to ever pull on a red [Munster], green [Ireland] or red [Lions] jersey. Off the pitch, though, and when the game was settled, he was just a massive fan of the game, and had his own favourite players too. The former […]

2 years ago

“It was no holds barred. We just went at one another.” When you ask both men about that Second Test between the British & Irish Lions and South Africa, in June 2009, Brian O’Driscoll and Victor Matfield both grin. It is a game neither will forget. Today, in Cape Town, the Lions and South Africa […]

5 years ago

Victor Matfield was the master come lineout time, but one man pushed him to the limit each time they met. If you are a Springboks fan, the names Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha go hand in hand. For Irish fans, the same goes for Donncha O’Callaghan and Paul O’Connell. In November 2009, played out in […]

6 years ago

“Drico got punched at least twice and someone else got punched.” Brian O’Driscoll versus Victor Matfield and Juan Smith. It could have ended much worse, but the Ireland centre got in his licks and escaped with honour, and body, intact. The 2009 Test Series between the British & Irish Lions and South Africa was one […]

6 years ago

“We were so charged up… I was looking for Brian!” The 2009 Test Series between the British & Irish Lions and the world champion Springboks was an instant classic and one of the most brutal encounters in the game since it turned professional in the mid 1990s. Victor Matfield was at the coal-face for most […]

6 years ago