Whenever Victor Matfield is not in the Bulls team his absence is conspicuous, and whenever he is on the field his presence makes a massive difference.
After two defeats - to the Lions and Stormers - and two wins (over the Queensland Reds and Sharks) in their last four matches, the Bulls will feel the return of the veteran lock is timely and a massive boost for the side as they play their last match at home before they go on a month-long Australasian tour.
The 37-year-old Matfield has made a full recovery from a knee injury that has kept him out of action since the Bulls beat the Crusaders on March 28.
"The knee feels good after having had two weeks of not running, so I'm very happy," Matfield said ahead of his return when the Bulls take on the Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night.
While Matfield did not take part in the on-field battles for four games, he continued in his role as the Pretoria side's forwards and attack coach, having a bird's eye view of the action.
His assessment of the previous few matches includes some concern regarding the side's scrumming - something which coach Frans Ludeke also stressed this week.
Matfield's presence from this week could prove to be the tonic the side needs in order to continue with their ambitions of a successful overseas tour and reaching the Super Rugby play-offs.
"We knew it was going to be tough. It's a pity we couldn't at least win two out of our last three (local derby) games," Matfield said.
"I think the one against the Lions (April 4) we should have won and maybe the one against the Stormers as well. I think it's not that the guys aren't playing well - they are playing well. It's just that we made a few mistakes that cost us the games.
"Every time the scrum stayed up we did very well, but every time it went down we got penalised. It's tough at the moment; we'd like to see the guys scrumming straight. Then things will go much better."
Matfield stressed that his troops will not be undermining their gradually improving Gauteng rivals, the Lions, on Saturday night (7.10pm).
"The Lions have been playing well over the past two years. They've had a good last two Currie Cups and also last year they had a good Super Rugby season. They are a team on the up. They seem to be a team that has a good culture ..."
Bulls feel the Matfield vibe
Whenever Victor Matfield is not in the Bulls team his absence is conspicuous, and whenever he is on the field his presence makes a massive difference.
After two defeats - to the Lions and Stormers - and two wins (over the Queensland Reds and Sharks) in their last four matches, the Bulls will feel the return of the veteran lock is timely and a massive boost for the side as they play their last match at home before they go on a month-long Australasian tour.
The 37-year-old Matfield has made a full recovery from a knee injury that has kept him out of action since the Bulls beat the Crusaders on March 28.
"The knee feels good after having had two weeks of not running, so I'm very happy," Matfield said ahead of his return when the Bulls take on the Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night.
While Matfield did not take part in the on-field battles for four games, he continued in his role as the Pretoria side's forwards and attack coach, having a bird's eye view of the action.
His assessment of the previous few matches includes some concern regarding the side's scrumming - something which coach Frans Ludeke also stressed this week.
Matfield's presence from this week could prove to be the tonic the side needs in order to continue with their ambitions of a successful overseas tour and reaching the Super Rugby play-offs.
"We knew it was going to be tough. It's a pity we couldn't at least win two out of our last three (local derby) games," Matfield said.
"I think the one against the Lions (April 4) we should have won and maybe the one against the Stormers as well. I think it's not that the guys aren't playing well - they are playing well. It's just that we made a few mistakes that cost us the games.
"Every time the scrum stayed up we did very well, but every time it went down we got penalised. It's tough at the moment; we'd like to see the guys scrumming straight. Then things will go much better."
Matfield stressed that his troops will not be undermining their gradually improving Gauteng rivals, the Lions, on Saturday night (7.10pm).
"The Lions have been playing well over the past two years. They've had a good last two Currie Cups and also last year they had a good Super Rugby season. They are a team on the up. They seem to be a team that has a good culture ..."
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