Jesse Kriel’s experience and versatility make him a big asset for the Springboks, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.
Lukhanyo Am is the Springboks’ first-choice No 13, and arguably the world’s best, but Kriel still has an important role to play in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup and at the tournament.
Kriel would have been gutted not to have featured in the Test series against the British & Irish Lions and the Rugby Championship in 2021, but he did start all three Tests on the end-of-year tour, on the right wing. With Cheslin Kolbe out injured, many expected Test rookie Aphelele Fassi to be given a chance to gain experience ahead of the World Cup, but Bok coach Jacques Nienaber instead backed Kriel, who has played his club rugby in Japan for the past three years.
“Jesse has played at wing for us before, so it’s not an experiment. We know that he can do it,’ Nienaber explained. ‘In 2018, he started at wing for us against the All Blacks in Wellington. With the rotation we made at 15 [Damian Willemse starting ahead of Willie le Roux], Jesse is nice for us in terms of bringing some organisational skills and almost 50 Test caps of experience.”
Willemse suffered a head knock early on in the match against Wales, prompting a return to the starting lineup for Le Roux against Scotland and England, but Kriel did enough in Cardiff to retain his spot for the rest of the tour.
Kriel’s experience, as alluded to by Nienaber, is a big boon for the Boks. The 28-year-old has earned 51 Test caps since making his debut under coach Heyneke Meyer in 2015. He scored tries in his first two Tests at outside centre, against the Wallabies in Brisbane and the All Blacks at Ellis Park, before being picked on the right wing against Argentina in Durban. Kriel, like most of his teammates, did not play well that day, as the Boks’ suffered a shock first defeat by Los Pumas, but he was on the wing when they famously beat the All Blacks in Wellington four years ago, as Nienaber pointed out.
Kriel has not yet been utilised at fullback in a Test, but he played most of his formative rugby there before moving to the midfield and he is certainly capable of covering 15 at international level.
If Am and Kolbe stay fit, Kriel’s Bok role is going to be limited to the bench and he faces some tough competition there, too. Damian Willemse and Frans Steyn can both cover flyhalf, centre and fullback. Steyn also has more Test experience than Kriel and showed his value when he came off the bench against the All Blacks on the Gold Coast last year. However, the Bok coaches clearly rate Kriel highly, too, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him among the substitutes for World Cup knockout games in France when his experience and versatility could make all the difference.
Even if Kriel doesn’t crack the first-choice match 23 at the World Cup, you would expect him to start against the Boks’ two weakest pool opponents while playing an important role off the field throughout the tournament.
Kriel certainly won’t lack motivation going into next year’s World Cup. He earned a bronze medal at the 2015 tournament after starting six of the Boks’ seven matches and, while he received a gold medal in 2019, his campaign lasted just one match due to a hamstring strain.
Kriel still has unfinished World Cup business and while he was, at times, the forgotten man of Springbok rugby in 2021, he could yet make 2023 a year to remember.
