England calling

de Villiers: prepared for England's backline

The nice thing is we are playing England in the last game, I think that was the big game before we even came over and the guys will be mentally prepared for that and 100% ready to go on Saturday.

Victor Matfield
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The Rugby Club caught up with three of South Africa's superstars ahead of their Twickenham clash on Saturday, Live on Sky Sports from 2pm.

Lock Victor Matfield, flanker Schalk Burger and centre Jean De Villiers are world class player and would not be out of place in any World XV side.

Matfield and Burger were instrumental in the Springboks world cup glory in 2007 with Burger dominating at the breakdown and Matfield reigning supreme at the lineout.

This week Springbok coach Peter De Villiers has claimed that his players are mentally fatigued and are struggling to motivate themselves for Saturday's meeting with England. However Matfield says the players will be well up for the Twickenham challenge.

"I think end of the year tours are always tougher than in the middle of the season," Matfield told The Rugby Club.

"The guys are already starting to look forward to going down to the beach and getting away from everything.

"The nice thing is we are playing England in the last game, I think that was the big game before we even came over and the guys will be mentally prepared for that and 100% ready to go on Saturday."

Despite winning two out of two, South Africa have not been convincing in beating Wales 20-15 and Scotland 14-10. But the Schalk Burger says that the boks are determined to put in one more effort.

Once more unto the breach

"We were lucky, admitted Burger. "The Scots played well but in all fairness we have not.

"We have played well in phases on this tour but we have not put in an eighty minute performance. We have allowed other teams to be in the game. Against Scotland at halftime we were 10-o down and obviously it was totally different to what we had planned, so we had to knuckle down and pull that one through.

"We have not had a great tour but no one wants to have a summer holiday after you have lost your last match and the South African rugby public are pretty fickle so we have to put in a good performance."

One eye on 2009

For Jean de Villiers winning on Saturday will give the Springboks a huge edge ahead of the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour.

It is a little over six months until the best of British and Irish return to South Africa hoping to recapture the glory days of 1997, but De Villiers is desperate to revenge that series loss.

"I was at the game at Newlands in 1997 where we lost," remembers de Villiers.

"I can remember Matt Dawson scoring that try by dummying Gary Teichmann and then we lost that series. I was at school back then and it was a big blow for us.

"From a personal point of view I have missed out on two world cups. I got injured last year in the first game and in the warm up games in 2003 I was injured too.

"The next best thing is obviously the Lions. Some may argue that it is even better than a world cup because it only come around every 12 years to a specific country

"It is something I am really looking forward to and hopefully be part of. I think when we hit next year I think the mood in South Africa will definitely change and the hype will start to build. It will be a massive series."

Upping up the ante

However before that De Villiers has to face England and he has been impressed with Martin Johnson's new look side.

"It is always big playing at Twickenham and England have got a new management team and some new players, added De Villiers.

"From a backline point of few they have a very exciting backline that can be destructive on any given day.

"We have had two wins under our belt and we have not played well, but if you can play badly and still win it is definitely a positive. We are looking to improve on our performance on Saturday; maybe create a few more opportunities from a backline point of view. From a defensive point of view I think we have been sound but there is always something to work on.

"We will have to be at our best to win this one."