Springbok stand-in captain Jesse Kriel says the team are fired up to bounce back against the Wallabies with a good win in Cape Town.
After a chastening opening Rugby Championship loss to the Wallabies, the Springboks are eager to put things right in the second Test at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 5:10pm), according to stand-in captain Jesse Kriel.
Kriel is captaining the side in the absence of the injured Siya Kolisi, with this his second official Test as team captain, and third this season after leading the team against the invitational Barbarians and Italy.
At the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, Kriel said that it had been a good week of training and that they were looking forward to getting back on the park and getting back to winning ways.
Fully prepared
“We definitely know what we didn’t get right last weekend. We’ve rectified that (in training) as a team. It was great to get back on the training pitch on Monday to kind of align and get our plans ready for the weekend,” said Kriel.
“We have been in this position before, but you must also remember it is just one (bad) game. The great thing about this sport is you get another chance (to fix things), and that’s what we have got this weekend. So everyone is looking forward to the game.
“Everyone is itching to get on the field and put things right. People might say there is more pressure on us (because of the loss), but at this level there is pressure on us every week. I think the guys are used to it, we are used to this situation and we are excited to get back out there.”
After a difficult few years the Wallabies have turned things around. They were one refereeing decision away from winning the Lions series and beat the Boks on the Highveld last weekend, and Kriel acknowledged their improvement.
“I think this team is up there with one of the best Australian teams I have played against. Looking back, the Aussie team of 2015 was a star studded one, but all the teams (in the Rugby Championship) are really dangerous,” said Kriel.
“If you look at their (Wallabies) backs now, they have unbelievable athletes that are quick, and on turnover ball can make magic. So it is exciting for us because we want to go up against great teams and great players, and we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Willie blow
The Boks were dealt a slight blow on Friday morning when it was announced that Willie le Roux had been withdrawn from the match 23 due to injury, with Aphelele Fassi stepping back in to the fullback role that he filled in the first Test.
“It’s unfortunate that Willie got a niggle this week in training. But he is working so close with Fassi, who is unbelievably talented, and I think he will do a great job in the match,” said Kriel.
“It is disappointing for Willie, especially since he would have loved to play here in Cape Town with his family here, so we will miss him. But I am confident that Fassi will step up and perform well as he has done over the last few years.”
