Northampton sign Springbok legend Victor Matfield

Northampton Saints have today announced the signing of World Cup-winning Springbok Victor Matfield ahead of next season.
The 38-year-old, who will move to Franklin’s Gardens after the World Cup, is South Africa’s most capped player, having worn the Springbok jersey 123 times heading into his fourth World Cup.
Matfield was a key force in his country’s World Cup winning campaign of 2007 – he was named man of the match in the 15-6 final win over England – and he is also a double Rugby Championship winner.
Success has been equally frequent on the club scene, where Matfield has been a Bulls stalwart for the best part of 15 years. At the Pretoria franchise he has lifted the Super Rugby title three times as captain, adding the same number of Currie Cups to his personal medal haul.
Matfield said: “It is an honour for me to join the Northampton Saints. Seven years ago Saints very nearly became my rugby home and I feel privileged to be given another opportunity to join the club.
“I join Saints to make the best contribution I possibly can and I have a genuine desire to hopefully play an instrumental role in a team effort, with the aim of lifting silverware in both the Aviva Premiership and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
“For now I will focus only on the Springboks‘ campaign to win the Rugby World Cup but I am very excited about the journey with Saints from November onwards.”
Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder added: “Victor is one of the outstanding forwards in world rugby,” he commented. “He has been at the top of the game for well over a decade now and his selection by South Africa for a fourth consecutive World Cup shows that he remains a force to be reckoned with.
“We’re very much looking forward to Victor joining up with the squad and believe he has a lot to offer the club, not only on the field, but also off it in terms of his leadership qualities and experience.”