Captains Jesse Kriel and Siya Kolisi honoured All Black star Ardie Savea with a gift after he made his 100th Test appearance against the Springboks.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus stuck to his tried and tested combinations for their third Castle Lager Rugby Championship encounter against the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, making only four changes to the starting team that beat the Wallabies in Cape Town, with Jesse Kriel retaining the captaincy.
Jesse Kriel, who will become South Africa’s 67th Test captain when he leads the Springboks against Italy at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, was delighted about the honour bestowed upon him, but he warned that it would be remiss to underestimate the Italians going into the clash.
Jesse Kriel will lead the Springboks against the Barbarians in the Qatar Airways Cup at the DHL Stadium on Saturday after coach Rassie Erasmus was forced to make a late change to his team on Friday, following the withdrawal of Siya Kolisi due to a niggle.
Pieter-Steph du Toit cemented his place in history by becoming the first South African to be named the World Men's 15s Player of the Year for a second time.
The Springboks secured the 2024 Rugby Championship title after cruising to a commanding 48-7 victory over Argentina at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
Springbok centre Jesse Kriel has stressed the importance of Willie le Roux’s communication and ability to “see space”, which is something he feels they need to improve on in their game plan.
Trevor Nyakane and Jesse Kriel are both confident that there is more than enough depth for the Springboks to have a successful Rugby Championship campaign without Handre Pollard or Lukhanyo Am.
Damian Willemse and Jesse Kriel have both been named to start as the Springboks opted for a new-look backline for the Test against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
Springbok centre Jesse Kriel emulated footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous celebration after scoring a try in the Top League finals series. (more…)