mens
international
Ex South Africa Captain Victor Matfield has singled out the Springboks duo of Malcolm Marx and Cheslin Kolbe for being “head and shoulders above everyone else” in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, naming the whore his player of the series.
The reigning World Rugby Player of the Year, Marx featured in all four Tests, starting in three and coming on as a first-half substitute in the second Test. His work at the breakdown was decisive throughout the series, particularly in Cape Town, and he added two more tries in the final two Tests, taking his tally to 29 in international rugby.
Kolbe, meanwhile, played just the first two Tests and 10 minutes of the third before breaking his jaw, ruling him out of the United States.
The winger made a lasting impact on the series though, adding goal kicking to his bag of tricks, knocking down all 11 of his shots in the first two Tests.
Matfield, speaking on his Rugby Rivals podcast, was full of praise for the pair after the series win, saying “everything they did was spot on”.
“I think Malcolm Marx was an outstanding player,” said the 2007 World Cup winner. “Cheslin Kolbe until he got hurt. I think those two were just head and shoulders above everyone else on the field. Everything they did was just spot on.”
“We actually saw in the second half, they struggled a little bit even at scrum time, in the line, when Malcolm went. Look, Deon is fantastic at the breakdown but he doesn’t have that physicality when it comes to the scrum and I don’t think he plays scrums very often, so he was under pressure.
“But yeah, Malcolm Marx just stood up. I mean, he was (the best rugby player in the world) last year and he just continues to deliver every weekend, if he’s down, he’s carrying, on the back of the maul, making the right decisions.
“So for the show it’s definitely Malcolm Marx.”