"It is about the Springboks, it is about South Africa, not individuals, and Victor has taught me so much during this World Cup. It has been a privilege to learn from a master."
De Jager said the wise old heads in the Springbok team, Matfield included, had shown him the way in test rugby.
"The senior guys guide you more than anything," he said.
"You go into the game with a lot of emotion because you are still young. You have a lot of fire in the belly and not a lot of focus in the mind, and the seniors direct you and you just go.
"It's nice playing with and learning from them. You don't have to do a lot of thinking but a lot of listening."
De Jager has made the most tackles in the tournament, a total of 50, and it is just one of the reasons he has become undroppable despite Matfield's return from injury.
"It's an honour for me to have that record, I was not aware of it," he said. "I just go into the game looking to make as many tackles as I can. It is not something you think about during the game - if the opposition has the ball and is in front of you, you make the tackle. I guess it is about working hard to get yourself into the thick of the action."
An unwanted record for De Jager and the Springboks is that they conceded more penalties than any of the other 19 teams in the pool stages.
"It's a big issue and we have put a lot of emphasis on it," he said.
"I think they are stupid penalties and there are one or two things we can eliminate quickly."
