Jesse Kriel on the charge. Photo: SA Rugby website
Kriel not feeling any pressure as he replaces Lukhanyo Am
Jesse Kriel says he is looking forward to a ‘special chance’ as he receives a rare start at outside centre on Saturday.
Jesse Kriel on the charge. Photo: SA Rugby website
It was confirmed on Wednesday that the Boks have lost both Lukhanyo Am and Handre Pollard to knee injuries, with Jesse Kriel and Damian Willemse both facing crucial roles as their replacements for this Saturday’s Test against Australia.
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Kriel, with 53 Test caps to his name, will fill Am’s boots at the Allianz Stadium in what will be just his sixth start in his preferred position at outside centre since 2018.
“Lukhanyo played good rugby, but I know what the responsibilities are in my role, and I’m looking forward to the game,” Kriel commented. “I’m very excited to be back in the midfield with Damian. We are good friends off the field, so this is a special chance for me.
“I don’t feel any extra pressure at all. Lukhanyo has been setting a great standard and has played amazing rugby. I’m just going to go out and give it my best.”
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The Boks have opted not to call up any replacements for Pollard or Am at this stage, with Jacques Nienaber believing they have sufficient cover within the squad.
“It’s always unfortunate to lose players in a squad, but this opens the door for other players to step in and showcase what they can do in those positions,” said Nienaber.
“We will now have 32 players in camp and with Elton expected to recover for the matches against Argentina and players such as Andre (Esterhuizen) and Jesse (Kriel) and Frans (Steyn) all being capable centres, we are well covered.
“Our plan from the outset of the season was to give most of the players in our expanded squad game time as we build towards the Rugby World Cup, and this involved rotating a few players, so we’ll use this opportunity to build our depth.”
Kriel will form part of a new-look backline on Saturday:
15 – Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz) – 76 caps, 65 pts (13t)
14 – Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – uncapped
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 53 caps, 60 pts (12t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 63 caps, 35 pts (7t)
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks) – 30 caps, 105 pts (21t)
10 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 21 caps, 12 pts (1t, 2c, 1p)
9 – Jaden Hendrikse (Cell C Sharks) – 7 caps, 5 pts (1t)
8 – Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers) – 15 caps, 0 pts
7 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 56 caps, 5pts (1t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Cell C Sharks) – 68 caps, 35 pts (7t)
5 – Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 61 caps, 25 pts (5t)
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Cell C Sharks) – 103 caps, 15 pts (3t)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 51 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 52 caps, 55 pts (11t)
1 – Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers) – 64 caps, 5 pts (1t)
Replacements:
16 – Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) – 1 cap, 0pts
17 – Ox Nche (Cell C Sharks) – 12 caps, 0pts
18 – Trevor Nyakane (Racing 92) – 57 caps, 5pts (1t)
19 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 24 caps, 15 pts (3t)
20 – Duane Vermeulen (Ulster) – 63 caps, 15 pts (3t)
21 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 21 caps, 40pts (8t)
22 – Frans Steyn (Toyota Cheetahs) – 75 caps, 150 pts (11t, 7c, 24p, 3d)
23 – Warrick Gelant (Racing 92) – 11 caps, 15 pts (3t)
The Boks’ record against the Wallabies in Australia:
Played 42; Won 12; Lost 28; Drawn 2; Points for: 702, Points against: 925; Tries scored 82, Tries conceded 94; Highest score 38-12 in Brisbane (2013); Biggest win 26 points in Brisbane (2013). Win % 28,6%.
Milestones:
- Malcolm Marx is the top try scorer in the squad against Australia with three tries in seven Test matches.
- Siya Kolisi has played 38 Tests as captain, making him the second most capped Springbok captain behind John Smit, who led the team in 83 Tests.
Miscellaneous:
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is
- There are 257 caps in the backline with 470 caps amongst the forwards. On the bench there are a further 264
- The average caps per player in the backline are 36, the forwards 58, while the players on the bench average 33.
