Don’t hand Super Rugby title to Sharks on a platter, says Kriel

The Sharks should not be crowned Super Rugby winners, ace Lions flank Jaco Kriel insists, just because the coastal side were leading the log when the season was suspended.

The Sharks had won six of their seven games, but Kriel felt it was important that the winners be decided in the knockout phase of the competition.

In fact, rather magnanimously, the bustling flanker highlights how his team’s own wasted opportunity to win the title three years ago proves his point.

“I compare it to 2017 when we also led the log but then lost the final (to the Crusaders), so I believe there must be some sort of a play-off match to determine the winner,” he said.

“One must, however, give the Sharks credit for the great rugby they played before the competition was stalled, and it would be nice for us to play against them again before the season is over.”

Kriel rejoined the Lions from Gloucester earlier this year, but he has not yet played any games for them after being sidelined by an ankle operation.

He has since recovered, however, and the Springbok flanker would be ready to return to the field when the 2020 campaign resumed.

“It would be nice to play some rugby again. The last time I played was back in November, and like all the other guys, I hope it will resume sooner rather than later, on condition of the players’ safety,” Kriel said.

“Coach Cash (van Rooyen) said during our weekly zoom meetings that the one thing that is not negotiable is the proper conditioning we must maintain.”

Lions conditioning coach Rupert Oberholster had assisted by creating different programmes for the players.

“One is a programme for players who don’t have running space at their homes, and the other one is for those guys who do have the luxury of space,” Kriel said.

“I have a small piece of grass that I can work on and it’s actually scary how tired you can get compared to a rugby field, so I had to learn the hard way.”

Before the lockdown, according to Kriel, the Lions had organised gym equipment for the entire team.

“Rupert phoned all around Gauteng and found out whether they had equipment he could lease for this time,” he said.

Though the restrictions faced by players were likely to affect their fitness levels, Kriel was focussing on his diet and daily training routine, in order to stay in shape.

“I don’t think the lockdown is affecting my diet at all and it is in fact helping me because you can’t order takeaways and you must plan your meals,” he said.

“It has made me more professional in the way,” said Kriel.

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