Springbok centre Jesse Kriel was beaming with excitement when reflecting on the Boks’ impressive 2024 season in which they won 11 of their 13 Test matches and described the year as “special”.
Kriel earned his 79th Test cap in the Boks’ 45-12 victory over Wales in their closing Castle Lager Outgoing Tour match to wrap up an unbeaten November trip for the first time since 2013.
The star centre, who was included in World Rugby’s Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year on Sunday evening, said while they were pleased with their season, he believed the team was capable of more, and that they were determined to build on this form next season and become even better.
The Springboks defeated Scotland 32-15 in Edinburgh and England 29-20 in London before toppling Wales in a match in which they recorded their second-highest victory in history in Cardiff.
“Obviously the guys are very happy with the three wins,” said Kriel.
“We set a goal at the beginning of the tour to go unbeaten because we haven’t achieved that since 2013, so we’re very happy with that and the performance against Wales.
“There’s still a lot we can work on as a team, but it’s been a very good year for us, and we are pretty satisfied with today’s result.”
Kriel praised the attitude of his teammates as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus used 50 players throughout the season and said it painted a bright picture for the future of Springbok rugby.
“It’s been great, we used 50 players, and everyone put up their hand,” said Kriel.
“When you get the right people in the room, a year like this is possible. All the guys that came in did so without egos and just wanted to get the job done and win for South Africa, so it’s been very positive in that sense, and I really feel we are building something special.
“For now, we are going back to our clubs, and we’ll try to focus on getting better as players, so hopefully we can contribute when we get back together and become even better as a team.”
The bulk of the Springbok squad will land in South Africa on Monday afternoon after all the players all returned to their franchises and clubs to continue their domestic commitments.