Former Springboks captain Victor Matfield will reunite with Eddie Jones in a coaching role for the Japanese national rugby team, South African media reported Sunday.
In an interview with Afrikaans-language newspaper Rapport, the 46-year-old Matfield said he will be a consultant to the Brave Blossoms as they prepare for their upcoming slate of test matches.
Matfield was a star second-rower for the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks team who employed Jones as an adviser to coach Jake White.
Jones recently began his second term as Japan coach after a tumultuous stint in charge of Australia that included the Wallabies' first-ever pool-stage exit from the Rugby World Cup last year.
"It's nice to get involved on an international level and work with Eddie," Matfield told the Rapport. "I've often said that I'm a big fan of Eddie."
Japan will host a test match against England, another of Jones' recent former teams, on June 22 at Tokyo's National Stadium. The Brave Blossoms will also play home tests against Georgia and Italy in July before facing New Zealand at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama on Oct. 26. They will fly to London to take on England at Twickenham Stadium in November.
Matfield said he would travel to Japan twice to be involved in Brave Blossoms' camps before their tests, while also providing "weekly analysis of the opposition teams for Japan and forward plans."
The Springboks great is renowned for his lineout expertise, which Jones will presumably seek to use as part of his stated goal of creating a "super-fast" brand of Japanese rugby.
Matfield's appointment quickly received approval from at least one of his 2007 World Cup teammates.
"Well bowled Mr. Jones... You got one of the best!" former Springboks flyhalf Andre Pretorius wrote on Facebook.
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