Utility player David Kriel eager to grow further with the Bulls

Having recently signed a new deal at the Bulls and established himself as an integral figure in the team, utility player David Kriel is looking to grow more in stature at the franchise.

Kriel has been the Bulls’ best player this season, putting in great performances in the United Rugby Championship and the Champions Cup.

His displays have seen him rewarded with a contract until 2027, making him an important player for the project under the director of rugby, Jake White. The 25-year-old said his performances during this season may have pushed the Bulls to renew his contract.

“It might be my performance. I have been feeling quite confident this season, and the growth that I have shown. It’s a massive honour for the Bulls to see me as worth keeping,” Kriel said this week ahead of another big United Rugby Championship match against Italian side Benetton at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (2pm).

Kriel at home in midfield

Over the years, Kriel has played on both wings, in the midfield positions and at fullback, proving to be the ultimate team, and utility player. Versatile players often get lost in squads as they don’t have a favoured position, though Kriel seems to have now settled in the centre position.

“Out of all the backline positions, I really enjoy centre, either 12 or 13. Centre is my favourite because of the involvement in attack and defence, especially 12 … it’s more of a physical position, but at 13 I get a bit more freedom,” he said.

Kriel admitted to missing the injured Stedman Gans, with whom he formed a solid 12 and 13 partnership early in the season.

“I do miss Stedman, he has a lot of different attributes to the centre partners that I have had this season,” he said.

“He’s a player with X-factor. The good relationship is because of both the on and off-field stuff; we get on quite well off-field as well.

“He’s someone you can coach. If I know something, I can always teach him and vice versa. He’s a very humble guy. I can also take everything he teaches me and adapt it to my game.”

Bulls need ‘good 80-minute performance’

Looking ahead to the weekend’s game, Kriel said the Bulls would need to put in an 80-minute display and be strong physically.

“We need to have a good 80-minute performance and play our brand of rugby, whether it’s being physical or having the ball in hand,” said the Bulls star.

“The Italians are always physical like we saw when they played against the Sharks; they dominated the physical battle.

“They don’t go away … they might be behind 10, 15, or 20 points, and they don’t go away. They keep on hitting you, so we are expecting a physical battle this weekend.”