Kriel: Boks have a ‘clear-cut plan’

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Jesse Kriel says the Springbok team that will face the Wallabies in their Rugby Championship opener in Johannesburg should not be seen as experimental.

It is likely that the team to face the Wallabies, to be announced later today, will be a mix of overseas and fringe players, with a stronger lineup to front the All Blacks the following weekend in Wellington.

While some would expect that to result in a disjointed performance from the Boks, Kriel was confident that some of the combinations will be able to seamlessly gel this weekend.

‘We always talk about continuity, so it has been great to try the different combinations. The great thing about this year is that there are not a whole lot of new guys. We know each other pretty well now and we know what the system is all about. It is basically guys getting into the camp and slotting in from where we left off last year, carrying on with those processes and combinations. So that has been pretty good.

‘Our management has a clear-cut plan for the Championship progressing into the World Cup. This weekend is the first part of that plan. We want to win the Championship and that starts this weekend. I don’t think the team is experimental at all. It is the best guys for this weekend that will take on Australia within the plan.

‘Guys are working together and working hard. People like to play guys up against each other in positions, but it is never the case. Guys are working hard together and helping each other to become a better team. At the end of the day we just want to win Test matches and hopefully the World Cup.’

Photo: Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images

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SA Rugby magazine