A “nervous” Jesse Kriel is honoured to lead the Springboks on Saturday for the first time, in the absence of Siya Kolisi, and an easy call by the coaches, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.
The 31-year-old centre, who has 79 caps and two World Cup medals, steps up from vice-captain when the world champions face the Barbarians in the non-cap fixture at Cape Town Stadium.
Kolisi’s withdrawal on Friday came after struggling with a neck injury, with assistant coach Mzwandile Stick confirming the precautionary nature of the decision during a Bok conference ahead of their opening match of the 2025 season.
“How we operate as a team, we always try to give players the best opportunity for them to be 100% on Saturday when we go to the game. Siya, it’s just a stiff neck so I don’t think there’s a need for us to take a risk,” Stick told reporters. “Chances are, by the time we get to the kick-off of the game, Siya’s neck will have probably loosened 100%.”
ICYMI: Kolisi out, Kriel captains Boks
Kriel’s appointment represents part of Rassie Erasmus’ broader leadership development strategy as the Boks begin planning for potential succession beyond the 34-year-old Kolisi.
For Kriel, the news came as a pleasant surprise. “I was obviously vice-captain for the weekend and then, like Coach Stick said, medically they were going to give him [Kolisi] up until the game, so in your head that probably would have been what would have happened,” he said.
“It was just said to me yesterday that I would be captain for the weekend, which I was really happy to take that role.”
The Japan-based midfielder, who made his Test debut in 2015, admits to initial nerves but embraces the challenge ahead.
“I’m extremely excited and honoured [but] not much changes for me. We’ve all got our roles in the team, and I think the big thing in the Springbok team and in the environment is about taking ownership in your role; that in itself sets you up to develop as a leader, and to become a leader,” he said.
“Whether you’ve got 100 Test matches or the guys that are playing their first games, they’re all leaders in their own ways, and they take ownership of what they need to do in the team.
“That in itself over the years has helped me to develop, and I’ve been surrounded by really strong leaders … I’ve been very fortunate to learn from their example. But yeah, I’m just really excited for the challenge.”
MORE: Rassie hints at captaincy change
“I don’t think I’m the biggest talker. I’ve always been quite vocal when it comes to defence, because that’s obviously my pressure point in the team,” Kriel added. “We’re so fortunate; If you look at the team this weekend, you’ve got guys like Lood [de Jager] up front, Malcolm [Marx]… I can carry on naming so many guys.
“You’ve got Damian [de Allende] next to me, who’s played so many Test matches, he could so easily have led the team, and he will be very influential tomorrow.”
Stick praised Kriel’s consistent work ethic and readiness for the responsibility: “We always try to also build more leaders in our team, and as you can see now, we’ve got Tshawe [Kriel] as our captain. He’s always been there, so I think it was an easy call for us to make.
“He didn’t see it coming, but there’s one thing that I enjoy about how we operate in our system: players, they train and they work hard to be in the team first before they become captains,” Stick noted.
“That’s one thing that I enjoy about Jesse; even if he’s not in the match 23, he always puts in the work, he always makes sure that he helps the team.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
