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Jesse Kriel will become the 67th official captain of the Springboks when he leads the team out to face Italy at Loftus on Saturday.
Jesse Kriel captained the Springboks in the non-Test against the Barbarians, and now officially becomes their 67th captain when he leads them again against Italy at Loftus on Saturday. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
Coach Rassie Erasmus gave Jesse Kriel a ringing endorsement with him set to become the 67th official captain of the Springboks when the current world champions take on Italy in the first of two Tests at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Kriel led the Boks for the first time in their non-Test season opener against the Barbarians in Cape Town last weekend, after he took over the reins from regular captain Siya Kolisi, who was a late withdrawal from the game with a stiff neck.
With Kolisi unavailable once again, this time due to an Achilles niggle, Kriel has been given the go ahead to lead again, even though Eben Etzebeth has returned to the side.
“We don’t want to just hand out the captaincy. We want to give it to people who deserve it. The ones we do give it to, it’s so they understand what the captain needs when they are not captain,” explained Erasmus about the decision.
“We know what we get out of Eben, he probably won’t go for 80 minutes. Not that Eben can’t go for 80, but we’ll probably make a sub there between him and Lood, and we want to keep the captain on the field.
“There is some nice continuity with Jesse. He has always been a good leader and did well to control the game (against the Barbarians) in that rain with the other senior players in the team. So it’s nice for him to be captain in a Test match and not just a Barbarian game.”
Kriel qualities
Erasmus expanded on the good qualities of Kriel, who has been in the Bok setup since 2013, with him going through ups and downs as he was originally a first choice starter, before slipping out of favour with the rise of Lukhanyo Am, before fighting back to become first choice again in the past few years.
“Jesse is not one of the young guys in the team, but he is probably one of the fittest. He is one of the biggest students of the game, he is the guy who can always play 80 minutes, and can play 13 or wing,” said Erasmus.
“He has always been the defensive captain when he has played. And I think he has developed his attacking game, where he was maybe a little bit straightforward in the beginning. I think he has the grubber now, he’s got the passing, he’s got the hands, he’s got the offload.
“He is doing it at the highest level. So I think he sets a great example for everybody, for us as coaches, and for the rest of the team.
“Being a captain on the day is an honour, and the way he communicates with the referees is brilliant. There are so many other guys that we could’ve picked, but Jesse is an absolute student of the game.”
