Jesse Kriel, the centre who has won two World Cups, has shared a harsh message that Rassie Erasmus sent to the Springboks, which clarified the rivalry among players based on position.

During their successful 2023 World Cup, South Africa possessed a strong depth of players, as evidenced by Kriel’s seamless replacement of Lukhanyo Am following his injury.

Jesse Kriel x Lukhanyo Am

Am performed brilliantly for the Boks in 2019 as the number 13 jumper, displaying some of his signature wizardry to help Makazole Mapimpi win.

However, his injury prevented him from playing in France 2023, and even when he was called up, Jacques Nienaber and Erasmus thought Kriel was a better fit for the position.

Since then, Kriel has talked about the bond he has with Am and how they encourage each other to continue improving.

Lukhanyo Am and I have a unique relationship, despite the fact that many individuals like to make things up as they go along. Both on and off the pitch, we are very, really good friends’, Kriel stated on the Boks Office podcast.

“In professional sports, it’s quite uncommon to find a squad where the players genuinely want the best for one another. That makes our squad truly unique. I was playing against the opposing 13 at the World Cup, and when he [Am] returned, he started giving me personal messages.

“He was mimicking opposition outside centres in training, trying to be the best Gael Fickou that he could be during the week.”

Rassie Erasmus’ message

Erasmus has instilled in the team a culture of always trying to achieve what is best for the group since his return in 2018, and Kriel reinforced this point by restating the Bok coach’s catchphrase and the lesson that kept them focused.

Kriel continued, “From that perspective (positional competition), that is what Rassie always talks about is having the right people, not necessarily the best people. I mean, he told us repeatedly that there are rugby players in the world who are far better than you guys that could be in the team, but he always talks about having the right people.”

“That is a really significant thing because, while you recognise that you have a part to play, you are certainly frustrated if you are not playing when it comes to squad selection and things of that kind.

“Everyone is really clear about their responsibilities, whether they are on the water or not, part of the team, or something else entirely. Simple as knowing your place, setting aside your ego, and determining what’s best for the group.

Realising that the game you are playing for involves something greater than yourself. You represent your nation; yes, it’s a cliché, but everyone represents their nation. However, I believe we have something unique here, and our team talks about it frequently. Wearing the Springbok shirt is something we continuously remind each other of.

Jean de Villiers’ response and Schalk Burger

The admission from Kriel impressed the former captains of Springbok, Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers, who both worked hard to cultivate that culture throughout their distinguished careers.

Burger remarked, “I like your competitive nature, but you also strive to improve your relationships with your friends.”

“That wasn’t always the case [with the Springboks], at least not in the early years of our involvement with them.”

We put in a lot of effort over time, and along with most of our generation, we adopted that mindset.

“To build a squad with depth, you have to push each other hard. If I’m getting better at rugby, for example, the next guy will push himself even harder to get better. I believe that one of the major tricks in life is to see if you can contribute to your friend’s success; it’s so lekker.

“There is nothing worse than being on a training pitch and there is someone sulking,” continued De Villiers.

Rugby is a team sport, and Kriel underlined that if that’s not your vibe, you’d be better off participating in an individual activity.

“Everyone gets the medal when they get up there to get their World Cup gold,” he remarked. “Collaborative victory is preferable to individual victory. Go play tennis or another solitary sport if you want to succeed on your alone.