4 Feb 2014

Matfield boasts improved fitness for second career

6:09 am on 4 February 2014

The Springbok lock Victor Matfield marked his return to first class rugby at the weekend, more than two years after retiring from the game, and the 36-year-old claims to be fitter man than he was when he retired after the 2011 World Cup.

The veteran lock played 20 minutes for the Bulls franchise in their Super Rugby warm-up match wit the Stormers, aying afterwards he felt fit and ready to add to his 110 Springbok caps, the last of which was at the World Cup in New Zealand.

Matfield played under the current Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer at the Bulls for five years until 2007, and their shared history played a role in the big lock's decision to return to the game, and he's targeted playing in the 2015 World Cup in England.