‘Boks had to dig deep, grind it out,’ says Kriel after nervy win against Pumas

Springboks midfielder Jesse Kriel is proud of how the team put their bodies on the line in their hard-fought 22-21 win over Argentina at Ellis Park on Saturday.

In their last Rugby Championship match of the year and home farewell Test ahead of the World Cup which starts in September, the Boks were under the pump at the start and towards the end when Los Pumas brought a lot of physicality and asked a lot of questions of the Boks’ defence.

Responding well to the test

The Springboks responded well to the test; they showed the kind of guts saw them win the Rugby World Cup in 2019, with Kriel applauding the side for putting up a good defensive effort.

“It was more of a defensive thing tonight, we had to defend a lot more, and we weren’t as accurate as we would have wanted to be,” said Kriel, who played in his first Bok game of the season. 

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“There are a lot of positives to build on, it was great for the guys to dig deep, stick in there, grind it out and get the win.

“It’s part of the game that I love, I’m proud of how the guys got stuck in, and put their bodies on the line. Every weekend that’s what the coaches ask for us, and I think the supporters could see the guys put their bodies on the line. This Argentina team is tough.

“The last 10 minutes was a proper grind … we had to grind it out and work hard for each other. This team has shown time and time again that they’re willing to put bodies on the line for each other.” 

World Cup warm-up begins

Kriel is part of the 26-man squad that’s headed to Buenos Aires for the first Rugby World Cup warm-up game against Argentina this coming Saturday. The outside centre said the game presents an opportunity for players to put their hands up for selection.

“I must say it is probably the most hostile place to play rugby. It’s always tough playing over there,” he said about rugby Tests in Argentina.

“Next week is going to be a great challenge, everyone is pretty excited about it, to get over there and give it another great shot. It’s another opportunity before the World Cup and a lot of guys want to put up their hands and show what they can add to the squad.”