Rassie Erasmus has explained the surprise decision to name Jesse Kriel as the Springboks captain for the clash against the All Blacks at Eden Park.
The experienced midfielder will lead South Africa for just the third time in his career, doing so despite the return of double Rugby World Cup-winning skipper Siya Kolisi.
Kolisi was described by Erasmus as touch-and-go for the fixture earlier this weekend, with the veteran Springboks back-rower ‘bracketed’ for a spot in the matchday 23.
However, a niggle sustained by Jean-Luc du Preez in the build-up to the match meant that it was the two-time World Cup winner who was backed in the starting number eight jersey.
It will be just the second time that Kolisi starts in the position, having done so earlier in the Rugby Championship against Australia at Ellis Park.
Why Jesse Kriel captains the Springboks this weekend
Erasmus has explained that the decision to name Kriel as the captain instead of Kolisi was due to the uncertainty around the latter’s inclusion in the squad earlier in the week.
The Boks boss said that the midfielder had been confirmed internally as the captain for the fixture and that it’d be unfair to take the role away from him later in the week.
“Siya was touch and go for the match earlier in the week after picking up a niggle a few weeks ago, and we didn’t want to risk him unnecessarily,” said Erasmus.
“But with Jean-Luc du Preez having picked up a niggle at training this week, Siya was the obvious choice to slot in at No 8.
“At that stage, Jesse had already been told he would be the captain, and it was only fair for us to keep things that way. He’s a great leader and one of the core players in our team.”
Erasmus adds that Kriel has impressed with his ability to not only lead the team but also communicate effectively with the officials.
His communication with the referee and his teammates is good, and he leads by example in the way he plays, so he deserves this opportunity,” he added.
“It will also be a big occasion for him to captain the team against the All Blacks for the first time, so we are proud of Jesse, and we know he’ll carry this responsibility with great pride.”
Picking the best team available
Earlier in the week, the head coach said that the best team fit and available would be selected for the showdown at Eden Park – a venue that the Springboks last won at in 1937.
South Africa will also be attempting to register their fifth victory in a row against the All Blacks, while the Freedom Cup is also on the line.
He believes that the coaching team has selected the best team possible to get the job done.
“We selected the best possible team we could for the match, knowing that this is going to be an epic encounter against the All Blacks at Eden Park, and many of these players have done the job for us before against them,” he said.
This is obviously going to be a completely different challenge to what we’ve faced against them in the last two years, with the match being hosted in New Zealand, and also at a venue where they hold a fantastic record.
“That said, we’ve been working hard on the detail we wanted to iron out following the matches against the Wallabies since arriving in Auckland, so it’s now up to us to implement our plans and deliver a performance that we can be proud of.”
