Springbok centre Jesse Kriel is bracing himself for a tough Test against Japan on Saturday, when South Africa open their five-week November tour at Wembley Stadium in London. He emphasised the importance of delivering a high standard of rugby to set the tone for what will be a challenging trip.
Kriel, who plays for Japanese club Canon Eagles, added the fact that some of the South African and Japanese players have been playing together for a few years in their local league would spice up the clash.
The Springboks’ have another four tough matches lined up following this match, against France at Stade de France in Paris (8 November), Italy at the Allianz Stadium in Turin (15 November), Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (22 November), and Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff (29 November) as part of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.
“This game is everything for us to get our end-of-the-year campaign off to a good start, and we won’t look further than this game,” said Kriel. “So, it’s important to get a good result.”
While he made it clear that it would be an epic battle between the sides, Kriel looked forward to the challenge of facing a few familiar faces from club rugby in Japan.
“It’s exciting, especially to play against a lot of familiar faces,” said Kriel. “I’ve been in Japan for close to seven years now, and it will be good to play with some teammates and guys I’ve played against in the Springbok jersey at the highest level.
“The fact that some of the players know one another will definitely add a different dynamic to the game because the guys know each other’s tendencies and how they play, so tactically we need to be at our best and stop the threats they bring to the game.”
“The last time I played at Wembley Stadium was in 2016 against the Barbarians, and we were there on Saturday watching rugby league,” said Kriel. “It’s a fantastic stadium with a great atmosphere, so it will be exciting to play at a different stadium.”