Victor Matfield, 37, to cap his return as Boks captain
In the absence of injured regular skipper Jean de Villiers, veteran lock will guide South Africa in test series
Victor Matfield's return to top class rugby took another twist as he was named South Africa captain for the internationals against Wales and Scotland, almost three years after retiring.
The 37-year-old lock will lead the Springboks in the absence of injured regular skipper Jean de Villiers, having last done so at the 2011 World Cup.
"Victor's appointment as interim captain is something I thought long and hard about and it wasn't an easy decision to make," Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer said on Tuesday.
Victor was a logical option – he knows the pressure associated with being Springbok captain as he’s been there before
"The three candidates we considered - Victor, Bismarck du Plessis and Fourie du Preez - were all very strong options. It's only a short-term appointment as Jean will take over as captain again once he's recovered.
"Victor was a logical option - he knows the pressure associated with being Springbok captain as he's been there before and he has vast captaincy experience at all levels of the game."
Matfield, who has captained the Springboks in 17 of his 110 tests, said he was looking forward to the challenge.
"I'm here to serve the team and would like to make a positive contribution," the giant lock said.