Matfield-Botha-and-McCarthy
Springboks legend Victor Matfield has likened Ireland’s Joe McCarthy to his former team-mate, the great Bakkies Botha, after his starring role in the Six Nations.
Botha and Matfield played together for years, forming one of the great lock partnerships in the sport’s history.
While Matfield was the lineout expert and could excel in the wider channels due to his vast skill set, Botha was the enforcer.
Setting the tone
He would never take a step backwards and often set the physical tone for the Springboks, becoming a genuine legend in South African rugby as a result.
At times, it led to some disciplinary issues, but his impact on the Boks could not be understated, which is why the comparison is quite the compliment for McCarthy.
The 23-year-old has always been highly regarded but his rise to the very top has been sudden considering that he was not a regular starter for Leinster last season.
His performances at the Rugby World Cup propelled him into the limelight and since then he has taken on a key role for the province.
That led to him featuring significantly in the Six Nations, starting all five of Ireland’s matches as they claimed the title for the second successive year.
Their opening match against France was when McCarthy announced himself as a special talent and Matfield admitted that he was “very surprised” by the youngster’s level.
“When they picked him ahead of some other experienced guys, I thought who is this guy, and he stepped up,” the Boks legend said.
“He had a really good Six Nations. He’s a fantastic ball carrier, he’s always in your face.
“When you have that one guy in your pack that you know everyone in the other pack looks at and thinks, ‘ah, do I want to take him on or take a step back?’ Then you’re really on the front foot.
“That’s what we always had with Bakkies Botha, it didn’t matter where we went, we always knew the other guys were thinking that when he was arriving at the ruck.”
South Africa tour
McCarthy’s next challenge internationally will come when Ireland take on South Africa in a huge two-Test tour in July.
Eben Etzebeth, who is the Springboks’ current enforcer, has widely been regarded as the best lock in the world over the past couple of years.
Providing both manage to stay injury-free, it could well be a titanic clash as the two countries vie for the number one spot.
Plenty is therefore at stake for both teams in that series and McCarthy could well be key for Andy Farrell’s men if they are to beat South Africa.
“He’s very good for Ireland – it’s going to be very interesting seeing him over here in South Africa,” Matfield added. “He’s going to be valuable to that Irish pack for a long time to come.”
News Related
-
1024x768_france-antoine-dupont-and-fabian-galthie-oct-2023-jpg Fabien Galthie’s men went into the global tournament as one of the favourites but they were ousted in the last-eight. Les Bleus suffered a 29-28 defeat to the Springboks as they were eliminated at their home World Cup by the eventual champions. It was a similar story to 2019, ...
See Details:
Antoine Dupont still hurt by 'injustice' of World Cup loss to Springboks
-
China’s New Aircraft Carrier Begins Catapult Testing Testing of the catapults on the Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian has begun. This is an important step forward in the construction of this ship, which is set to be the first carrier in the People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, that launches aircraft ...
See Details:
China's New Aircraft Carrier Begins Catapult Testing
-
Aircraft Downed Inside Russia By Patriot System: Ukrainian Air Force The Ukrainian Air Force has now confirmed that a number of Russian aircraft shot down back in May over their own territory were indeed destroyed by a foreign-supplied Patriot air defense system. The possibility that Ukraine’s newly acquired Patriots may ...
See Details:
Aircraft Downed Inside Russia By Patriot System: Ukrainian Air Force
-
-
Exiled Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov delivers a speech during a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on April 20, 2022 in Brussels. Fedorov on Monday said Ukrainian partisans blew up a car with pro-Russian fighters inside over the weekend. A car with Chechen soldiers fighting ...
See Details:
Car With Pro-Russian Fighters Blown Up by Resistance: Exiled Mayor
-
-
Springbok lock opts not to renew contract with URC team Rugby World Cup-winning lock RG Snyman has opted not to extend his stay at Munster beyond the current season. This week, it was revealed by Munster that Snyman would seek new horizons once his deal with the Irish Province expires. ...
See Details:
Springbok lock opts not to renew contract with URC team
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
Antoine Dupont STILL hurt by ‘injustice’ of Rugby World Cup loss to Springboks
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
Rubber stamping NHI Bill will have damaging consequences for SA for generations
-
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
After the Bell: SA’s NHI healthcare disaster starts right here
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
Gupta-linked development land for sale
-
OTHER NEWS
A senior Volkswagen executive involved in a global cost-cutting strategy said on Friday, 24 November, he was “very worried” about the future of the company’s operations in South Africa, which ...
Read more »
Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, who was famously shown to have a shorter shelf life than a lettuce, has effectively backed Donald Trump ...
Read more »
Standard Bank treasonous? We're literally helping to keep the lights on says CEO Bruce Whitfield speaks to Lungisa Fuzile, Standard Bank SA CEO. Standard Bank is one of 28 banks ...
Read more »
Israel, Hamas agree to extend truce for two days; Musk ‘would like to help rebuild Gaza’ The UN said many people in Gaza still had no food or cooking fuel ...
Read more »
Mamelodi Sundowns’ former coach, Pitso Mosimane, dismissed the African Football League Jingles shared his opinion and compared it to the CAF league and said that it was a mere tournament ...
Read more »
Take note of these N3 road works between Westville and Paradise Valley The N3 between the Westville viaduct and Paradise Valley interchange will be partially closed to traffic for the ...
Read more »
UKZN medical student bags 2023 Health Excellence Rising Star Award Durban — One of the country’s most progressive young minds in the medical field, fifth-year University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) medical ...
Read more »