Boks centre ageing like fine wine

LUCKY NUMBER 13: HIS EMERGENCE AS A TOP PLAYER CAME AS A SURPRISE TO MANY IN THE GAME

- Ross Roche

The emergence of Jesse Kriel as one of the Springboks' best players came as a surprise to many, but the 30-year-old centre seems to be ageing like fine wine as he gets better as the years go by.

Based on how often he is selected, Kriel is most likely one of the first names on the team list every week.

And his incredible rise over the past few years is a testament to what hard work and effort can get you, even when you weren't originally considered one of the best.

Kriel made his Springbok debut against Australia in the Rugby Championship in 2015.

He soon became a regular, with him going to the 2015 Rugby World Cup, where the Boks finished third.

He was considered the first-choice outside centre for much of his early international career until the arrival of Lukhanyo Am. He debuted for the Boks on their 2017 end-of-year-tour.

From then on, Am became the Boks' first-choice outside centre, and was considered one of the best players in the world as he helped the Boks to the 2019 Rugby World Cup title in Japan.

Kriel was a part of the squad that year, but saw his World Cup cut short after picking up an injury in the Boks' opening game against the All Blacks after replacing Am in the second half.

In the next World Cup cycle, before the showpiece event in France last year, Kriel was again an important member of the Bok squad but was still behind Am in the pecking order.

However, that all changed in 2022 when Am picked up a serious injury against the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship.