Read more
Jesse Kriel will lead the Springboks against the BaaBaas in the injury enforced absence of regular captain Siya Kolisi on Saturday.
Springbok centre Jesse Kriel will lead the side for the first time against the Barbarians on Saturday, after regular captain Siya Kolisi was ruled out of the game through injury. Picture: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
Springbok centre Jesse Kriel is honoured to receive the opportunity to captain the Springboks, after it was announced on Friday that he would lead the team due to an injury niggle to regular captain Siya Kolisi, ahead of their clash against the Barbarians at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 5:10pm).
Kriel though won’t become the 67th official captain of the Springboks as the game against the famed invitational side, affectionately known as the BaaBaas, is not an official Test match.
Kriel will thus have to hope to get another shot at captaining the side in an official Test, so he can go down in the history books, although that isn’t something that he is worrying about
“I am excited and honoured to be captaining my country, but not much changes as we all have leadership roles within the team and every player is encouraged to take ownership in his role. It sets us up to be developed as leaders,” explained Kriel in the pre-match press conference on Friday.
“Whether we have 100 caps to our name or are just starting out, we are all leaders in our own way and that setup has helped me to develop.
“We have had very strong leaders at the helm at the Boks in the form of Siya and Eben (Etzebeth) and I am fortunate to have them to learn from and to be able to follow the example they have set.
“So I am excited about the challenge. I was nervous when I was first told that I would be captaining on Saturday, but ultimately not much really changes.”
Similar role
Kriel explained that his role on the field would remain largely the same, other than him being the port of call between the team and the referee, and he would just continue to do his thing.
He also added that the players were taking the match extremely seriously and echoed a number of Bok coaches in the week who said that they were all treating the game like an official Test match.
“I don’t think I am the biggest talker, although obviously I am very vocal on defence, which is my specific pressure point in the team. I will look to some of the experienced guys around me in the team (for help),” said Kriel.
“For instance, there is a guy like Malcolm (Marx) who could easily have led the team, and also Damain de Allende could have been captain and is very influential. Cheslin (Kolbe) is also a leader. There are lots of strong leaders throughout the team and it makes it easier to execute our plan.
“We are approaching it as a test match and it is the start of a massive season for us. This a very important game against a team with star players in it and which has a lot of X-factor in it.”
