The rise of Jesse Kriel is a stunning testament to the value of hard work

The emergence of Jesse Kriel as one of the Springboks’ best players came as a surprise to many, but the 30-year-old centre seems to be aging like a fine wine as he gets better and better as the years go by.

Based on how often he is selected, Kriel is most likely one of the first names on the team list every week, and his incredible rise over the past few years is a testament to what hard work and effort can get you, even when you weren’t originally considered one of the best.

Kriel made his Springbok debut against Australia in the Rugby Championship in 2015, and soon became a regular, with him going to the 2015 Rugby World Cup, where the Boks finished third.

He was considered the first choice outside centre for much of his early international career, until the arrival of Lukhanyo Am, who debuted for the Boks on their 2017 end-of-year-tour.

From then Am became the Boks’ first choice outside centre, and was considered one of the best players in the world as he helped them to the 2019 Rugby World Cup title in Japan.

Kriel was a part of the squad that year, but saw his World Cup cut short after picking up an injury in the Boks’ opening game of the tournament against the All Blacks, after he replaced Am in the second half.

During the next World Cup cycle, before the showpiece event in France last year, Kriel was again an important member of the Bok squad, but was still behind Am in the pecking order.

Make his mark

However, that all changed in 2022 when Am picked up a serious injury against the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship, which opened the door for Kriel to make his mark, and that he did, as he started six of the Boks’ seven matches over the rest of the year.

Despite his impressive showing down the back end of 2022, it seemed like Am was again the first choice No 13 in the lead up to the 2023 World Cup as he started the first two games of the season, against the Wallabies in Pretoria and the All Blacks in Auckland.

Before the Boks’ next game, against Argentina at Ellis Park, Kriel was desperate for game time, saying: “I have no idea (if he would play), our team selection only happens next week. Of course I’m desperate, I definitely want to play.”

He got his wish as he started against Argentina at Ellis Park, but Am was back in the No 13 jumper in the next game against the same opponents in Buenos Aires, where he suffered another big injury, which ruled him out of the initial Bok World Cup squad.

That meant Kriel was again the first choice No 13 and since then he has absolutely nailed down that spot.

Over the Boks’ last 15 games, Kriel has been in the match 23 13 times, starting 11 of those games, playing once off the bench and was an unused sub in the World Cup match against Romania.

Kriel was in the Bok match 23 for every game of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and this year has started in five of the Boks’ six games, only missing out on selection for the match against Portugal.

History maker

In that time Kriel has also made a bit of history, becoming the most capped starting centre pairing in Bok history alongside Damian de Allende, against Ireland in July.

They will again run on together for a record extending 32^nd time against the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Ahead of that Irish game De Allende said of his centre partner: “It’s a great achievement for Jesse and myself. I met Jesse in 2014 when he was training with the Boks already, and I’d like to congratulate him for this achievement.”

“Jesse is a lot faster than me, but jokes aside, he’s excellent on defence, at reading a game, and making good decisions at tough times.”

De Allende also admitted that he didn’t mind who he partnered with between Kriel and Am as he believed that both are the best outside centres in the world.

“I don’t know who between them is number one and number two in the world, and I don’t mind who I play with. They could both be number one. I think they are the best in the world, and I am just privileged to play next to them. I am glad they are on my outside, whether it’s Jesse or Lukhanyo.”

Boks v All Blacks

Looking at the All Blacks game at Ellis Park today, Kriel is thrilled to be a part of it saying: “It is a massive Test match. Against New Zealand it is always really big. It is really exciting, as a player you always want to be involved in these types of Test matches and I think it is going to be a great occasion.”

New Springbok attack coach, New Zealander Tony Brown, also recently waxed lyrical about Kriel, indicating that he was very pleased with the work ethic and skill of the player.

“Jesse has worked so hard off the field to get better in every facet of the game and we saw a lot of examples of him being a dominant attacking force, whether carrying the ball or moving it with his passing game,” said Brown.

“Jesse is super-fit and in rugby, if you can position yourself quickly and you see the space and opportunity, you will get the ball in your hands and that is what I am pushing all the guys to do.”

With him still having a good number of years of rugby ahead of him and sitting on 73 Test caps, Kriel is well on his way to becoming a Bok centurion, and if he can continue to play at the level that he has been, he will likely be the Boks’ first choice No13 for the foreseeable future.