Jesse Kriel will lead SA’s charge to breach the walls of New Zealand’s famed Eden Park fortress on Saturday despite regular skipper Siya Kolisi being included in the Springboks’ starting line-up for their biggest game of the season.
Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus said it had been decided Kriel would captain the side after Kolisi was touch-and-go for the match earlier in the week, having picked up a niggle a few weeks ago.
A formidable SA side, brimming with pace and flair in the backs and menacing grunt among the forwards, has been named to shatter the All Blacks’ treasured 50-match unbeaten streak at Eden Park (kickoff 9.05am SA time).
The Boks can make a name for themselves if they can end an amazing All Black unbeaten run at the iconic venue, which stretches back to 1994.
Explaining the decision to hand the captaincy to Kriel rather than Kolisi, Erasmus said: “Siya was touch-and-go for the match earlier in the week after picking up a niggle a few weeks ago.
“We didn’t want to risk him unnecessarily, 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. 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.
“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.”
Erasmus said Kolisi was happy with the decision for Kriel to lead the team.
“We had already named the captain on Monday and then we made the team change with Siya on Wednesday,” Erasmus said.
“Siya, himself, said things had already been planned regarding matters like how we communicate with one another on the field before the change.
“Because he came in at a late stage because of the Jean-Luc injury, it did not make sense [to make Siya captain] and that came from Siya himself.
“The entire team accepts it like that.”
SA’s most experienced player, Eben Etzebeth, returns to the starting line-up in the engine room alongside Ruan Nortje.
The only change in the backline is at fullback where Willie le Roux will start his 101st Test after being forced to withdraw from the last clash against the Wallabies due to a niggle.
“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,” Erasmus 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.”
Springbok team: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (captain), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Ethan Hooker.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.