Jesse Kriel has urged Springbok supporters to remain confident after South Africa suffered a disappointing 33-16 defeat to New Zealand in the opening match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at Ellis Park on Saturday night.
Rather than dwell on the result, the experienced centre said the Springboks would use the loss as motivation as they prepare for the second meeting with the All Blacks at Cape Town Stadium next weekend.
Kriel, who earned his 91st Test cap in Johannesburg, acknowledged that South Africa had fallen short of the standards required in a match between two of international rugby’s leading sides.
Kriel promises a better performance
The Springboks were given Sunday to recover from the demanding encounter before returning to training on Monday.
Kriel said the squad would carefully review the match, identify where things went wrong and spend the week working on solutions ahead of the Cape Town clash.
“We’ll obviously watch the game again and work through it,” Kriel said.
The centre added that the team had enough time to prepare and would be determined to produce a much-improved showing.
“We have another whole week to prepare, and we’ll do what we need to do.
We’re a team that finds solutions, and we’ll be up for it next week.”
Missed chances proved costly
For Kriel, one of the biggest lessons from the defeat was the importance of converting opportunities into points.
South Africa created chances but failed to turn enough of them into points, while New Zealand showed greater ruthlessness when openings presented themselves.
“In Test match rugby, if you don’t convert and take your opportunities and other teams do, the scoreboard is normally not in your favour and we clearly had to be more clinical,” he explained.
Kriel believes those small details become even more important when two closely matched teams meet on such a major stage.
The All Blacks, he noted, capitalised on their opportunities, while the Springboks were left to reflect on what might have been.
Springboks forced to adapt during match
South Africa also had to cope with several positional adjustments during the contest as circumstances forced the coaching staff to shuffle their resources.
Kriel himself moved to the wing, highlighting the unpredictable nature of Test rugby.
The 32-year-old said the Springboks were accustomed to preparing for situations in which players may have to move into unfamiliar positions.
“In big games like this you have to be able to adapt,” he said.
Although he felt South Africa responded reasonably well to the changes, Kriel admitted that the team lacked the accuracy needed to deal with New Zealand’s pressure.
Cape Town presents immediate opportunity
The Springboks will remain in Johannesburg until Wednesday before travelling to Cape Town on Thursday.
Their next assignment against the All Blacks will take place at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, giving South Africa an immediate opportunity to level the series.
The teams are scheduled to meet again in Johannesburg at FNB Stadium near Soweto before the rivalry series concludes with a match in Baltimore in the United States.
South Africa must improve quickly
With little time between the opening defeat and the next Test, the Springboks cannot afford to spend too long looking back.
Kriel’s message was clear: analyse the mistakes, make the necessary adjustments and return stronger.
The defeat may have given New Zealand early momentum, but South Africa now have a week to respond.
For Kriel and his teammates, greater accuracy, better execution and the ability to convert scoring opportunities will be central to that response.
What’s next?
The Springboks will begin their preparations for the second Test in Cape Town after their recovery period.
The focus will be on correcting the errors from Ellis Park and finding a way to counter the pressure that allowed New Zealand to take control of the series opener.
For supporters, Kriel’s promise offers a reason to believe the Springboks’ response could be considerably different when the two rivals meet again at Cape Town Stadium.
Summary
South Africa’s 33-16 defeat to New Zealand exposed costly errors in execution, but Jesse Kriel has insisted the Springboks will learn from the loss and return better prepared next weekend.
The experienced centre acknowledged that the All Blacks were more clinical with their opportunities and said South Africa must improve their accuracy.
With the second Test approaching in Cape Town, the Springboks have an immediate chance to respond.
