Kriel much in the Boks Test frame
The player’s midfield defence will be crucial to snuff out All Blacks attack
It would be easy to say Jesse Kriel is keeping the 13 jersey warm for the currently injured Lukhanyo Am.
The Sharks centre has been a joy to watch in the past two seasons and fully deserved his Bok starting role. Kriel, though, has somehow found a way to remain firmly in the radar despite the Bulls being thoroughly underwhelming in the past two years.
When one looks at how long he’s been part of the Springbok set-up and the caps he’s accrued (35 with 30 starts), Kriel’s in a good place from an experience perspective.
That quality, though, is not always the best way to move forward, especially against a skilled backline the All Blacks possess.
However, should Kriel start at 13 in Saturday’s Test against New Zealand at Loftus Versfeld, he’ll be an integral part of a midfield defence that was highly improved against Australia.
It’s becoming clear the Boks are leaning more towards their defensive system to get them out of trouble, which was the case in last month’s landmark 36-34 win against NZ in Wellington. A repeat of that composed defensive showing will be a necessity from Kriel and whoever partners him at centre.
With Damian de Allende showing serious signs of recovery, Kriel said De Allende is well equipped to deal with the All Black midfield threats should he play. One of those is Sonny-Bill Williams, who has also shaken off his injury concerns. Kriel and Andre Esterhuizen warded off the Australian threats last week but New Zealand have a midfield cutting edge like no other country in world rugby.
“(Offloading) That’s one of his big skills and that’s something we’re aware of but we’ve also got a guy like Damian who also brings something else to the table. It’s different styles and different players but we’ll be focusing on what we need to do well and not too much on what they do,” said Kriel.
“Damian is a world-class player and I think what he brings to the table is very special. He’s got a great skill-set and great feet. He can take guys on and he’s really strong on defence. We’ve also got guys like Andre Esterhuizen who are pushing players really well at training. Damian and I have played together before and he’s really comfortable on attack and defence.”
A hard and dry Loftus Versfeld paddock has worked wonders for NZ and the jury is out on whether the Springboks have recoveries left in them.
In their wins against England and NZ, they had to bounce back from sizeable deficits. The slow starts are something the All Blacks must have taken note off, especially after the Boks fought back from an early deficit to beat them in Wellington.
Kriel though understands the magnitude of the task they need to achieve on Saturday and knows they still have the ne- cessary character to extricate themselves from difficult positions.
“It’s going to be a huge Test match and we’ll need to get up for the game and be better. They’re going to be a lot more clinical and they’re the number one Test team in the world. They’re going to come here wanting to win and we need to be better than them,” he said.
“Those England Tests where we came down from showed the character and the fighting spirit we have in this team. It’s something that we pride ourselves on but every Test match is different. Sometimes you have to go to the dark place and you have to fight back. We know that we’re capable of doing that and that’s a big difference for us.”
Different styles and different players but we’ll focus on what we need to do well