South Africa
Matfield to captain Spingboks in June Tests
ESPN Staff
June 3, 2014
South African Springbok's vice-captain Victor Matfield speaks at a press conference in Wellington, New Zealand, October 3, 2011
Victor Matfield - short-term appointment © Getty Images
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Victor Matfield will captain South Africa in their Test matches against Wales and Scotland later this month.

The 37-year-old Matfield retired from playing after the 2011 World Cup, but returned to action earlier this year after signing a deal with the Pretoria-based Bulls. He takes over from Jean de Villiers, who is sidelined for eight weeks because of a knee injury.

Matfield, who has won 110 caps, will take the charge on Saturday when South Africa play World XV in Cape Town.

"Victor's appointment as interim captain is something I thought long and hard about, and it wasn't an easy decision to make," coach Heyneke Meyer said "The three candidates we considered - Victor, Bismarck du Plessis and Fourie du Preez - were all very strong options. It's only a short-term appointment as Jean will take over as captain again once he's recovered from his injury.

"Victor was a logical option. He knows the pressure associated with being Springbok captain, as he's been there before, and he has vast captaincy experience at all levels of the game."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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