Vodacom Bulls utility back David Kriel is looking forward to a “lekker challenge” against his brother Richard in Saturday’s Vodacom URC derby at Ellis Park.
In perfect timing, David has recovered from a shoulder injury sustained in mid-December, while Richard is expected to return to the Lions lineup.
“Since last season, when we played against each other twice, there’s been a lot more chirping at home,” Kriel said with a laugh on Wednesday. “But I don’t see it as me against my brother, it’s the Bulls versus Lions and both of us want to win badly.
“I won’t go looking for Richard on the field, but if he runs at me – or vice versa – then it will be a lekker challenge.”
The elder Kriel laughed again when asked if the brothers should play for a ‘Kriel Cup’, with their father determining the winner after each clash.
“Our dad still can’t decide which team he wants to support. He made a jersey that has the Lions on one half and the Bulls on the other! I think he’s a draadsitter [fence sitter]!”
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Kriel said he knew exactly what to expect from their opponents on Saturday, thanks in part to some ‘inside info’.
“We know the Lions love to run with the ball and my brother often tells me how much they back themselves to do that.
“We will have to be sharp on defence, keep numbers on our feet, and match them physically. You also don’t want to lose your structure [if the game becomes loose]. We will stick to our game plan and hopefully come out on top.”
The Bulls snapped a four-match losing streak last weekend with a 48-7 win against Stade Francais in the Investec Champions Cup, scoring seven tries (including five in the first half), at Loftus.
Their finishing was notably better than in previous weeks, which Kriel said was a result of hard work at training.
“I think the big problem was that we didn’t show enough composure in the opposition 22, when we maybe needed to keep hold of the ball for one more phase,” he explained.
“We’ve worked tremendously hard on having more patience on the ball and finishing the opportunity, because you can’t win if you don’t score points.”
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Photo: Bulls/Instagram