'The worst thing you can do is become a victim because to be honest, no-one cares'
As a pupil back at Maritzburg College, Jesse Kriel would sneak into the gym at night, keeping the lights off to avoid alerting any staff, and eke out a few precious hours of lifting that would give him the edge over his peers and rivals. Judging by his physique and the patchwork striations that bind it together, it was around this time that he last consumed any simple carbohydrates.
These were twilight sweat-fests that speak to Kriel’s mind-set. The centre’s whole rugby life has been about outworking and outfighting everyone else, visiting the dark places where only the toughest and most driven dare to venture.
“One of my best mates at school, his dad was the deputy headmaster,” Kriel tells RugbyPass. “So Tim always had a key for the gym.
“I got the key off him, got another one cut for myself that I would use to get in the gym in the evenings – not with the lights on or you’d get bust – just to go through my rugby sessions and get the extra work in.
“There used to be tackle bags in the gym, I did a bit of tackle technique, speed work, hurdles, lifting. It was something that I loved and I knew would make my rugby better.”
Even now, as a World Cup winner restricted by the Covid-19 lockdown, this narrative remains constant. Kriel made it back to South Africa from his Japanese club just in time to avoid being trapped overseas by the spreading pandemic, a fate that met several of his fellow Springboks.
He is based on his partner’s farm near the little town of Hibberdene on the southeast coast. He has his girlfriend and her family help him practice his passing, and goes tramping around the property on a variety of tortuous running sessions. The complex suspension of rugby has given him the breathing space to tear apart his game and zero in on the areas where he feels it is lacking.
“In situations like this, you either become a victim and say, ‘I can’t do this, I don’t have a gym to do that’, or you take it by the scruff and take advantage of the opportunities,” Kriel says.
“I’ve stripped my game down: how can I get better? How can I structure my day to get my skills and conditioning better, and ultimately transfer it on to the field?
“A big thing I’ve been working on is identifying space better, whether it’s kick space, bridge balls over the top to get full-backs and wingers into space, seeing space and exploiting it better. I’ve been watching a lot of Willie le Roux’s clips and talking to him to learn how he does it. He’s one of the best in the world at it – I want to be able to spot that space better and use my skillset that I’m working on to get the ball there.”
The World Cup was a blend of emotions, the exaltation and the glory tempered by the ache of injury. Kriel damaged his hamstring in the opening pool match against New Zealand and flew home to recover.
His focus in these brutal moments was extraordinarily precise, almost machine-like. There was no melancholy, no wallowing in misfortune. As soon as he boarded the airport shuttle, his brain had switched to the next task and the job of getting fit enough to fire back in amongst it should any other backs go down.
“I could control getting back into shape, putting all my energy into rehab and knowing that I could get back out there if someone got injured,” he says.
“The worst thing you can do is become a victim and feel sorry for yourself because to be honest, no-one cares. Unfortunately it didn’t all work out, but I can honestly say I have got absolutely no regrets and I did everything possible to get back in shape and back to full fitness.
“Every night I go to bed a happy guy, we won the World Cup and we achieved our goal. Whether I played or not, that doesn’t matter, that’s irrelevant.”
Ultimately, Rassie Erasmus didn’t need him. His hamstring was too badly damaged in any event if the Bok coach had. But thanks to an act of remarkable philanthropy from Gavin Varejes, a huge supporter and benefactor of South African rugby, the stricken Kriel and prop Trevor Nyakane could fly back to be with their team-mates for the final.
Of course, they lusted to get on the park, but they were as feverish with excitement as anyone in Yokohama as the Springboks atomised England on that sweltering evening.
“I don’t think there was budget to fly us back, and Gavin stepped up and sorted everything – we just needed to get to the airport,” Kriel says. “He’s an amazing guy who does a lot for South African rugby and I am so grateful to him.
“Being on the field in the warm-up, the atmosphere in that stadium was stupid, crazy. I was so grateful to be there but at the same time, you just wanted to be out there. All the non-playing reserves and injured players, everyone wanted to be playing.
“But our next-best thing was to be the best supporters and energy-givers in that stadium. I loved every second. The highlight for me was defending our line for literally two minutes, we smashed England back. That showed what we are and why we are world champions. That was the character that people speak about in champion teams – that was awesome.”
Kriel sizzles with enthusiasm when he talks about Erasmus and what he did for a beleaguered squad that had become serial losers under the previous regime. He lionises Jacques Nienaber, the defence specialist who has taken over as head coach – “Jacques gets up to work at about 4am… he lives, eats and craps defence” – and Felix Jones, the former Munster back credited with the sprinkling of ingenious technical gems.
“Rassie always talked about how he’ll pick a person first before he picks a rugby player,” Kriel says. “Not many people get it right, but he and Jacques do.
“The group had a common goal, guys bought into their plan and worked absolutely crazy hard. There were no egos, and when you’ve got that, your sky becomes the limit.
“Coaches are there to help you with getting your skillsets under pressure and your conditioning better, but effort is between you and you. Only you can determine how hard you want to work, how quickly you get off the ground.”
Of course, Kriel knew the triumph would reverberate across South Africa, a complex nation where abject poverty and division still exist. But it wasn’t until he made it back to Hibberdene that he got a very tangible and humbling feel of what it meant.
There, he was besieged by the children of the farm workers, interrogated about Siya Kolisi, the Boks’ first black captain who came from a township and reached the very pinnacle of the sport, and lobbied for jerseys, boots and balls.
Credit: Die Hard Rugby
“There’s a whole load of guys working on farms here who don’t come from the luckiest or best background,” Kriel says. “But when I got back, these guys had started to run. They are training. Half of them have got my old kit. They’re asking about Siya Kolisi, the little kids on the farm are asking me if they can have a rugby ball because they want to start practicing.
“They might not even have known what rugby was a couple of years ago, but now it’s become an obsession. Guys are getting opportunities they might never have got before, and maybe one day they will become a Siya or a Handre Pollard. That’s exciting and gives our country a lot of hope.”
When the world wrests itself from the grip of coronavirus, Kriel will return to Japan, where he has revelled in the lifestyle and the rugby in the colours of Tokyo’s Canon Eagles.
There are those who would not have him in a Bok jersey while playing in the Top League, not when clips emerge of RG Snyman smashing through Japanese like a grizzly bear scuttling a gang of squirrels, not with a monumental Lions series looming in 2021.
RG Snyman was quite a handful at kickoff time for the @hondaheat in their Top League clash with @Kubota_Spears. ? FULL ROUND 2 HIGHLIGHTS ON https://t.co/uii6ViVtGY NOW? #TopLeague pic.twitter.com/LVZ8g5Ub7Q
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 20, 2020
“That’s where people get it wrong,” he says. “If you look at a guy like Duane Vermeulen, he’s been playing in Japan for years, he comes back and he’s at his best for the Springboks.
“That perception and those people are completely wrong. The Top League is really competitive, the rugby is crazy-fast, and the clubs look after you.
“I’ve still got another season there, I’m really excited to get back and play in the Top League. I wouldn’t mind playing for longer over there. My head is only there at the moment, and hopefully I’ll be a part of the Lions series if that all works out. I haven’t thought further ahead than that.”
For now, it’s back to the farm, back to the grind, back to the lust for improvement. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Comments on RugbyPass
9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to comments