We’re a better team than during World Cup: Kriel

Springbok centre, Jesse Kriel, is of the view that the Boks are currently a much better team than they were in the 2023 World Cup final against New Zealand in Paris.

The two nations will renew their bitter rivalry on Saturday afternoon at the iconic Ellis Park Stadium.

The Springboks have already won their first two matches of the Rugby Championship, away, against Australia. Both matches saw the Springboks winning convincingly. The second clash against the Wallabies on the other hand saw the visitors win the tie even after making 10 changes to their side.

It’s no surprise then, that the Springboks and Kriel are confident about their chances against the All Blacks, who have already lost one of their two Rugby Championship matches at home to Argentina.

“If you’re not better now than you were last year, you’ve got a problem,” said Kriel.

“The big thing for us is that we want to stay ahead of the curve and keep working on our individual skills to get better. I definitely believe we’re a better team than we were last year.”

“Last week we played a completely new team, with a lot of guys that weren’t in the [Rugby World Cup] final. Both teams are in a similar space in that a lot of new guys have come in and have put up their hands.”

The two-time Rugby World Cup winner has also been very impressed with new attack coach, Tony Brown’s new style of play.

“Brown has been massive since he’s come in. He’s got the guys in the room really excited. I think he’s got us playing a really exciting brand of rugby that the guys are enjoying. It’s nice getting onto the field and being excited about how you’re going to play. If you look at a guy like Eben [Etzebeth], he’s got an unbelievable pair of hands and offloading ability. If you look from one to 15, there are guys with amazing skill sets.”