Springbok centre Jesse Kriel said the team are targeting five wins out of five on their end-of-year tour.
Springbok centre Jesse Kriel said the team would not dwell too long on their 24-13 win over Ireland in Dublin on Saturday night – South Africa’s first victory in Ireland in 13 years. Instead, they’ll shift their focus to Wales for their final match of the year.
The Springboks take on Wales in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon for their 15th match of the year.
The Boks head into the game in great form with four straight wins on their end-of-year tour, while Wales struggled for just their one-point win over Japan (24-23) a fortnight ago, being thumped by Argentina 52-28 and New Zealand 52-26 either side of that match.
Wales are 12th in the world and the result might be a foregone conclusion in the mind of many fans. But Kriel said the Springboks would take the Test as seriously as any other, as they aim to win all five of their tour matches and finish the season with 13 victories.
‘There is still a job to do’
“Next will obviously be a massive Test match. We’ve had some tough games throughout this series and next week will be no different. There is still a job to do,” the Springbok centre said.
“I don’t think we’ll dwell on this for too long. We’ve got a Test match next week and that is what makes this team special – it is always about getting the next job done. And we’ve got some big matches over the next two years.”
He hinted that the Springboks are treating every match with an eye on the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
“I am very excited for next week and to see if the guys can get the job done.”
Springboks eye Wales after massive Irish Test
Kriel described the Irish Test – which saw a 20-minute red card and four yellow cards for the hosts, and two yellows for South Africa (one later rescinded) – as a “weird game”.
“I think we applied unbelievable pressure on the opposition which forced cards and things like that. It’s quite hard when there are a lot of stop-starts. But I think the guys adapted well and we got the result.
“We said we wanted to come here and get the result, and regardless of how we did it we got it done. That is all that matters at the end of the day.”
The Springbok centre applauded his teammates for digging deep into their reserves against a tough Irish defence.
Kriel applauds Malcolm Marx for Player of Year award
Kriel said his teammate Malcolm Marx deserved the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year award, being a talented, hard-working and humble person.
“He always puts the team first. I am so happy with him winning the award, he really deserves it.
“He had an unbelievable year, and for the last eight years he’s been incredible for this team. I am glad that he got his flowers.”
