Jaco Kriel has extolled the graft of the Lions players, attributing the standout Springbok debut of ex-teammate Edwill van der Merwe to staying on the “right path”.
Van der Merwe crowned his Test bow last week with a sensational score under the posts in a convincing win for the world champion Boks over Wales at Twickenham.
He started with Lions teammate Jordan Hendrikse, who ran out at flyhalf, and has earned a spot in Rassie Erasmus’ 39-man squad for the July Tests against Ireland and Portugal in the Republic.
Lions scrumhalf Morne van den Berg is also included in the group while Hendrikse and Quan Horn, another member of the Pride, have been placed on a standby list.
Speaking on the Behind the Ruck podcast with fellow former Boks Rudy Paige and Juan de Jongh, Kriel highlighted the work ethic at the Lions franchise while praising their determination despite a lack of silverware.
Kriel, who hung up his boots in 2022, was a constant feature for the Johannesburg outfit during the Johan Ackermann era and earned 11 caps for his country.
“I felt the young guys really put up their hands [against Wales] … And you have the experienced guys keeping the whole team calm and the young guys doing what they love,” he said.
“I’m really glad for Edwill, scoring a try and being Man of the Match. He has been working so hard for that Bok cap – I had a chat with him a couple of times while I was still playing and he was, ‘Jakesy, what do you do to become a Bok?’
“I told him, ‘Edwill, just work hard, you’re on the right path, just do what you do’, so it was just amazing to see his performance.
“What people don’t see is the hard work they [the Lions] put in. The Lions isn’t always the team that does well or wins trophies, but the Lions team still works hard. They still have passion for the jersey.
“Everyone wants to be a Bok and not everyone is going to be a Bok, but it is amazing to see… just those names [Van der Merwe, Hendrikse, Van den Berg and Horn] are really four of the hardest workers around.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
The post Former Bok: Lions’ hard work pays off appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
