Victor Matfield - as close to a cert as a Bok can get

By CHRIS RATTUE

It's fraught with danger, picking a South African to profile this far out from kickoff.

Springboks and potential Springboks are finding all sorts of ways to fall over before the Cup begins, with the traditional method of injury popular but hardly the most interesting.

Take two of Victor Matfield's four test locking partners this season: Geo Cronje and Quinton Davids have already got their names in black-and-white headlines without going anywhere near a jar of liniment in Australia.

As for sorting out which survivors are actually headed for major game time, your guess is as good as Rudolf Straeuli's, the Springboks' coach.

Matfield is about as close as it comes to a certainty in Springbok-land. At 2m tall, sometimes with curly locks, a face of rugged charm, and athleticism you don't usually associate with South African tight forwards, he is a standout. Aged 26 and with 20 test appearances, Matfield could even make a World XV at the moment, unlike the zillions of other Springboks roaming the Republic.

He is regarded as a bit too elegant by some South Africans, not quite the down-in-the-trenches type an heir to Mark Andrews should be. But how many locks do you see finish off a try like the one inspired by yappy little Brent Russell against Australia at Newlands this year?

And since when do locks go on 60m runs, chip-kicking and collecting the ball over Matt Burke, as Matfield did to score against the Waratahs in 2001?

Born and raised in Pietersburg, north of Pretoria, his schoolteacher father was the major influence in rugby and life, and Matfield played for his province and country at every age level, although some regarded him as a better cricketer at school.

He wandered south for a while, but returned to become the central figure in the Bulls' pack.

His personal details read: about to marry a dentist, commerce degree, plays golf off a nine handicap.

Like all good and not-so-good locks, Matfield does have a rugby room-mate story, after he and his size-15 feet had to share a small double bed with hooker Lukas van Biljon in a French hotel.

"I got knocked over the head, kicked in the stomach ... ended up sleeping on a bare mattress," Matfield said.

Nice try, mate, but if you're angling in on the controversy deal, Cronje and Davids have got you every time.

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