Ioane a tough call for Kriel

Rudolph Jacobs

Having been in and out of the Springbok team under coach Rassie Erasmus, Jesse Kriel (above) hopes to grab today’s opportunity with both hands – even if it is out on the wing.

Kriel said this week he was excited about the opportunity against the All Blacks in Wellington, and he did not mind playing out of position, as he had played on the wing before.

“Obviously not as many times as centre but I’m really excited about the opportunity,” Kriel said.

“It’s always special to play for the Boks and hopefully we can challenge New Zealand. It’s an opportunity we are all looking forward to.”

Though direct opponent Rieko Ioane was a world-class wing, Kriel said all players wanted to be up against the best every weekend.

“In Super Rugby, Rieko played a bit at centre as well. He has got the complete skill-set, is dangerous with the ball in hand and is a strike-runner,” said Kriel.

“So I’m really looking forward to the match-up this weekend.”

The Boks obviously wanted to get things right, he added, and convert their opportunities when they came around after failing to take chances in their last two Tests.

“If we had taken just three chances in each game the results could have looked a lot different,” he said.

In Damian McKenzie, Kriel felt the Kiwis also had a really exciting player as he brought a lot of tempo to the game.

“He likes to take the ball to the line and opens up a lot of space for everyone else, so we will have to back our defensive system and try to put pressure on him.

“But in guys like him and Cheslin (Kolbe) for us, both teams have got great guys coming off the bench and it’s going to be great to watch.”