Fullback Richard Kriel was named the U18 Craven Week Hero of the Day after scoring a brace in Free State’s 38-21 come-from-behind victory against the Blue Bulls.
The Hero of the Day award is based on a standout moment of the day and is not necessarily given to the best player.
Kriel, one of many Grey College players in the Free State team, scored his first try at the end of the first half after the Bulls had taken an early 10-0 lead. He grabbed his second soon after the break, chipping the ball ahead before regathering and dotting down near the posts.
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‘The ball came out of the scrum and our centre Wyclef Vlitoor picked it up, passed it to me and I spotted the space behind [the defence],’ the 18-year-old said about his second try. ‘I put the grubber through, it bounced kindly for me and I was able to score the try.
‘It is a huge honour to be Hero of the Day. The second-half effort from the boys was amazing. The first half wasn’t that impressive but we will be better on Thursday.
‘Last year I was not able to play due to a knee injury. They were very unlucky last year, as they had a quality side,’ Kriel said about the 2017 team that missed out on playing in the unofficial final despite going unbeaten. ‘This year our team is much better. We don’t have individuals [stars] and we hope we can do it.’
Photo: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images
