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Kriel: 'I think as South Africans we are a pretty resilient bunch'
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Springboks centre Jesse Kriel has lauded the resilience of his South African teammates after they beat France by a single point in a thrilling Rugby World Cup quarter-final win in Paris last night.
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The Boks edged the hosts 29-28, coming back from an early French try to outscore the French in a harum-scarum contest in the French capital.
Kriel was a bloody mess by the end of the game after needing stitches in his head after suffering a laceration in the second off from an accidental collision.
“Yah, I got a few, I don’t know how many, it’s quite a big cut,” said Kriel. “I don’t know, I think just hitting a guy’s hip or something, a bit of bone on bone. Luckily it’s all good and it was just a cut. Luckily these things heal.
“After November’s loss against them we were disappointed and we wanted to make that right. So, it was nice to get an opportunity tonight to fix that.”
Kriel said that the Springboks refused to panic after an early French try threatened to set the tone for the game.
“Look, we simulate these things throughout the week and I think as South Africans we are a pretty resilient bunch and I think it’s all things that we’ve experienced before in rugby games. And yeah, I thought we bounced back well.
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“Obviously, taking no credit away from the French. They are an unbelievable side and we knew they’d come out firing in front of a massive crowd. I think the response was good.
“The most important thing is we got the result, we got what we came here for tonight. There is still a lot of rugby to be played in this tournament, another two big games and obviously not looking past next week and semi-finals.
“It’s just about getting back to the drawing board tomorrow and getting the bodies fresh and all eyes on Saturday.”
South Africa now play England in the semi-final next week in Paris.
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