Matfield vs Jones

The Wales captain will need to outplay his South African counterpart if the tourists are to have any say in the decisive Test in Nelspruit, writes JON CARDINELLI.

The Springboks dominated Wales in every facet of the first Test in Durban. The forwards set the platform via a powerful set-piece and breakdown performance, and the backs succeeded in translating this dominance into territory and points.

Wales will be hard pressed to turn things around in the space of a week. They will be looking to their senior players to produce something special, and in this respect, there's a lot of pressure on No 5 Alun Wyn Jones to achieve the improbable.

Jones needs to nullify the influence of Victor Matfield. The Bok captain was in impressive form last week, whether he was securing ball for the hosts or masterminding a steal off the opposition feed. If Matfield is allowed to dominate once again this Saturday, the Boks will cruise to another comfortable win.

Photos: Cameron Spencer/Andrew Yates/Getty Images

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