Victor Matfield insists South Africa have drawn inspiration from being written off ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.
The Springboks head into the showdown in Dublin without the services of no fewer than 13 players sidelined either by injury or suspension.
A disappointing Tri-Nations campaign saw them finish bottom of the table with just one win from their six games piling more pressure on coach Peter de Villiers.
Facing a near full-strength Ireland on their home patch, the depleted South Africa squad is being tipped to fall to a fourth consecutive defeat in the fixture by many observers.
But Matfield, who is leading the side in the injury-enforced absence of John Smit, claims that the tourists will feed off the limited expectations surrounding them.
“We haven’t won in Dublin for 10 years but the only thing we are worried about is how Ireland play and the way we play tomorrow,” stated the imposing second rower.
“We need to get a result. We had a little chat this morning about believing in ourselves.
“There aren’t a lot of people giving us a chance in this game and hopefully that will motivate the guys.
“This may be not be the most experienced side but we still think we’ve got a lot of talent.
Focus
“The important thing for us is not to worry about who are favourites or underdogs.
“We’ve got a job at hand and that’s what we are focusing on now.
“It doesn’t matter if we are underdogs or favourites, we know we are pulling on a Springbok jersey and we’ve got a job to do.”
In addition to their raft of injury problems, the Springbok coaching staff also have to contend with the fact that six of their starting line-up played in the last weekend’s Currie Cup final between Natal Sharks and Western Province.
“It’s tough, especially for the guys that played in the final,” added Matfield. “Some still want to celebrate while some of them are a bit down.
“But the moment you put on that Springbok jersey you need to be 100% focused.
“I believe the guys will be ready. We had a good three days in South Africa training very hard.”
However, Matfield and his team have been boosted by the news that former Munster centre Jean de Villiers has been passed fit after recovering from a groin injury.
“Jean’s pulled through, he will be ready. It’s great because he’s our leader in the backline,” he said.
“It will be nice for me as well to have Jean there, making calls and keeping everything together. He’s a quality player so it’s great that he’s fit.”
