VIDEO: This is why Jesse is captain says Rassie
VIDEO: Jesse Kriel becomes the 67th Springbok captain when he leads the team on the field against Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
It will also be Kriel’s 80th Test for the Boks. He captained the side against the Barbarians in Cape Town last weekend after Siya Kolisi had to withdraw due to an injury, but that match was not an official Test match
The 31-year-old Kriel, who attended Maritzburg College, made his Test debut in 2015 against Australia.
He played in the 2015, 2019, and 2023 World Cups, where he was the starting No. 13 in the 2015 semifinal loss to the All Blacks in London, but had to go home following an injury early in the 2019-winning campaign in Japan.
On Tuesday, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus opened up about the star centre, his attributes, and what makes him the perfect candidate to lead the Springboks.
“We don’t want to hand out captaincies like it is something that people don’t deserve.
*Article continues below…
“Jesse is somebody who probably deserves it. [It is important] we get guys like that to understand what a captain needs when he is not a captain,” Erasmus explained.
The obvious question from reporters was why the nod didn’t go to Eben Etzebeth, who has captained the Springboks and Sharks with great success.
“We know what we always get out of Eben. Eben probably won’t go the full 80 minutes, but we hope that Jesse will go the full 80.
“Not that Eben won’t make the 80, but we will probably make a sub there somewhere between him and Lood [de Jager].
“Jesse is not one of the young guys in the team, but he is probably one of the fittest. He is probably one of the biggest students of the game,” he expanded.
“He is probably the guy who can always play 80 minutes. He is the guy who can play No. 13 or wing; 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,” said Erasmus, adding: “I think he has the grubber now, he’s got the passing, he’s got the hands, he’s got the offload.
“And he is doing it at the highest level. So I think he sets a great example for everybody. For us as coaches, for the rest of the team.
“Being a captain on the day is an honor, and the way he communicates with the referees, brilliant, but there are so many other guys that we could’ve picked.
“But Jesse is an absolute student of the game.”
The coach went further, explaining that the powerful centre has always been a leader within the group, while it brings some continuity from last week, when he ‘did really well in the rain’.
NEW IN THE APP: Official World Rugby Rankings hub! Compare team rankings side-by-side, with data going back 20 years.
Download the RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now!
