New South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer is considering bringing Victor Matfield out of retirement to captain the Springboks in their three-test series against England in June.
The South African Rugby Union said 'all options are on the table' for captain and that includes Matfield, the lock who retired after his 110th test in the quarter-final loss to Australia at last year's World Cup. Matfield will turn 35 next month.
Meyer said on Thursday that he'll appoint his captain the week before the first test on June 9 and that player will lead the team for that home series against England before 'a final call' is made on a permanent skipper.
Meyer and SARU declined to comment on Matfield as the coach wrapped up his first training camp at a high school in Pretoria, but the temporary captaincy role points to the Springboks great returning to play for his country in one more series.
Meyer and Matfield know each other well after having combined as coach and captain when the Pretoria-based Bulls won their first Super rugby title in 2007. Matfield now works as a television pundit and hasn't publicly committed to a comeback, although he would reportedly consider it for Meyer.
The vastly experienced Matfield could be the ideal caretaker candidate, giving Meyer more time to pick a permanent leader. Former long-serving skipper John Smit also retired from international rugby after the World Cup in New Zealand.
'I've said from the start I want to give every single player the same opportunity to be captain of South Africa and the Springboks. That's a huge honor.' Meyer said. 'There's a lot of guys injured at the moment and a lot of guys retired and playing overseas.
'I want to give myself and the players a lot of time to make the right decision. I don't want to rush into the decision and make the wrong decision.'
Captaincy candidates Schalk Burger and Juan Smith are both injured, while scrum-half Fourie du Preez is playing in Japan and uncertain to be available for the England tests.
Meyer's appointment began an overhaul for South African rugby, with former Boks loose forward Rassie Erasmus also now part of the national setup as General Manager of teams. Meyer, a former Leicester coach, is also rushing to finalise contracts for four members of the Bulls coaching staff, who he wants as assistant coaches for the Springboks.
Meyer's first international is against a rejuvenated England under Stuart Lancaster and less than two months away, a team he said had showed 'a lot of guts.'
England finished second to Wales in the Six Nations with a 4-1 record, an unexpectedly promising performance after a dire World Cup under Martin Johnson that was marred by off-field controversies.
'England's coaching staff is set up and they've had five good games in the Six Nations,' Meyer said. 'Probably they (England) should have a lot of confidence coming over. They've been together for quite some time now.
'They'll be well prepared, and I've also coached a lot of those players at Leicester. I've said from the start they're a well-balanced side and they will be hungry coming down to South Africa. I think it's going to be a huge challenge.'
The Springboks play England on successive weekends in Durban, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth in the first international three-test rugby series in South Africa since New Zealand visited in 1996.
Only the British and Irish Lions have visited for three tests since the All Blacks won their first series on South African soil.
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