11-08-2005, 07:33 AM
By Ken Borland
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Envy is behind allegations Springbok lock Victor Matfield has been concealing a steel plate in his arm guard, his coach Jake White said on Wednesday.
Matfield was cited for a tackle on Byron Kelleher 10 minutes into Saturday's test against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
Kelleher was concussed and replaced, but a judicial committee cleared Matfield of any wrongdoing, finding the tackle was legitimate and not dangerous.
But Counties Manakau coach Kevin Putt, who represented the All Blacks at sevens and South Africa on tour, was quoted on New Zealand radio as saying Matfield wears a steel strip under the wrapping on his forearm.
Putt claimed Springbok captain John Smit, who was under his guidance while Putt was coach at Natal, had told him of Matfield's "steel protector".
White said Putt's claims were "laughable".
"As soon as a side starts winning, these things happen. Other teams try to put heat on you and make big things out of nothing.
"There is no way an international player would have a steel plate on his arm. Can you imagine if the bandage came off? Besides, it was actually Victor's shoulder that hit Byron Kelleher on the chin, it had nothing to do with his arm.
"JOKE CLAIMS"
"Gareth Thomas wore a brace for the British Lions against New Zealand and what about Stephen Larkham's arm guard -- what's in there? I don't know why Kevin Putt said it," White said.
Smit also rejected Putt's claims, saying he "thought it was a joke".
"I haven't spoken to Kevin Putt since he was fired from the Sharks and before that I never spoke to him about Victor Matfield or his arm," Smit said.
The Springboks left for Australia on Wednesday, ahead of their Tri-nations match against the Wallabies in Perth on August 20. Momentum is with the South Africans, who have won their opening two matches of the Tri-nations, beating New Zealand last weekend and Australia in Pretoria on July 30, both by a 22-16 margin.
The Springboks also beat Australia 30-22 in Johannesburg on July 23 in the second leg of the Mandela Challenge Plate.
"It is a huge achievement to beat Australia twice and the All Blacks in three successive weeks. Not many teams have done that, so don't under-write it," White told reporters in Johannesburg before the Springboks' departure.
A victory in Perth or against the All Blacks in Dunedin on August 27 would see South Africa retain the Tri-nations title and move them to number one in the International Rugby Board rankings, but Smit said his team's focus would stay on the Perth test.
"Our focus is only on the next task and things like the number one ranking are just a by-product of winning the next test in front of you," he said.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Envy is behind allegations Springbok lock Victor Matfield has been concealing a steel plate in his arm guard, his coach Jake White said on Wednesday.
Matfield was cited for a tackle on Byron Kelleher 10 minutes into Saturday's test against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
Kelleher was concussed and replaced, but a judicial committee cleared Matfield of any wrongdoing, finding the tackle was legitimate and not dangerous.
But Counties Manakau coach Kevin Putt, who represented the All Blacks at sevens and South Africa on tour, was quoted on New Zealand radio as saying Matfield wears a steel strip under the wrapping on his forearm.
Putt claimed Springbok captain John Smit, who was under his guidance while Putt was coach at Natal, had told him of Matfield's "steel protector".
White said Putt's claims were "laughable".
"As soon as a side starts winning, these things happen. Other teams try to put heat on you and make big things out of nothing.
"There is no way an international player would have a steel plate on his arm. Can you imagine if the bandage came off? Besides, it was actually Victor's shoulder that hit Byron Kelleher on the chin, it had nothing to do with his arm.
"JOKE CLAIMS"
"Gareth Thomas wore a brace for the British Lions against New Zealand and what about Stephen Larkham's arm guard -- what's in there? I don't know why Kevin Putt said it," White said.
Smit also rejected Putt's claims, saying he "thought it was a joke".
"I haven't spoken to Kevin Putt since he was fired from the Sharks and before that I never spoke to him about Victor Matfield or his arm," Smit said.
The Springboks left for Australia on Wednesday, ahead of their Tri-nations match against the Wallabies in Perth on August 20. Momentum is with the South Africans, who have won their opening two matches of the Tri-nations, beating New Zealand last weekend and Australia in Pretoria on July 30, both by a 22-16 margin.
The Springboks also beat Australia 30-22 in Johannesburg on July 23 in the second leg of the Mandela Challenge Plate.
"It is a huge achievement to beat Australia twice and the All Blacks in three successive weeks. Not many teams have done that, so don't under-write it," White told reporters in Johannesburg before the Springboks' departure.
A victory in Perth or against the All Blacks in Dunedin on August 27 would see South Africa retain the Tri-nations title and move them to number one in the International Rugby Board rankings, but Smit said his team's focus would stay on the Perth test.
"Our focus is only on the next task and things like the number one ranking are just a by-product of winning the next test in front of you," he said.