An on-fire Springbok side will be gunning to make it a clean sweep of five wins out of five when they end their European tour against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, centre Jesse Kriel says.
Not satisfied with victories over Japan, France, Italy and Ireland on their end-of-year tour, the Boks are determined to end with a flourish at the Principality Stadium (kick-off 5.10pm SA time).
“After our win over Ireland, we’ve got another Test match against Wales on Saturday, and I think that’s what makes this team special,” Kriel said.
“It’s always about the next job, getting the job done. And yeah, we’ve got some big Test matches coming up over the next few years.
“It will obviously be a massive Test match. We’ve really had some tough games throughout this series, and I think the Wales game will be no different.”
The Boks produced a fighting display to beat Ireland 24-13 last week to record their first win at the Aviva Stadium since 2012.
“That win was a really big target for us going into this week,” Kriel said.
“We, as a group, had not won here before, and it was something that we were all working towards. So we are very happy with the result. It’s very special.
“The great thing about this team is we don’t dwell on the past and the things that we’ve achieved. It’s always about the next training session. It’s about pitching up each day and giving your best and getting the job done. So, I don’t think we’ll dwell on this for too long.”
Kriel said the clash at the Aviva Stadium had been “a weird game”, with several cards being dished out.
“To our credit, we applied unbelievable pressure on the opposition, which forced cards and things like that,” he said. “There was a lot of stop-start, and it’s quite hard, but the guys adapted well, and we got the result.”
Kriel praised teammate Malcolm Marx, who was crowned World Rugby Player of the Year.
“You could see the reaction when he won the award,” he said.
“He’s probably one of the most humble people I’ve ever played rugby with. He’s an extremely hard worker, very talented, very humble and a great team man.
“He really deserves the award, as he had an unbelievable year. And for the past eight years, he’s been incredible for this team. So really happy for him and glad that he got his flowers.”
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said his team would remain grounded after a highly satisfying win over Ireland.
“It was a great win against a quality team that has completely dominated us since we’ve been together as a group,” he said. “If you look back at the last five games we’ve played, they are still three–two up against us, so we won’t get carried away with the result.”
Erasmus will name his team to face Wales on Thursday.
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