Kriel understands defence like Bok legend

Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White says he was surprised by David Kriel’s omission from the 2024-25 URC Team of the Season.

Seven South Africans made the Elite XV selected by the media, including three Bulls – props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw, and No 8 Cameron Hanekom.

However, Kriel – who has started all 18 of the Bulls’ URC matches this season, mostly at 13, with 1,362 minutes of game time – missed out to Munster’s Tom Farrell.

“I am surprised by how people don’t realise how important he is [to the Bulls],” White told the Irish media on Tuesday ahead of the URC final against Leinster at Croke Park on Saturday.

“He was a fullback as a youngster, he’s played wing, he’s played 12 and 13, he’s kicked winning penalty goals for us against Leinster and Benetton this season. He’s been with us from day one [under White] and I’m almost sure he’s played the most minutes for us in the past four years.

“So it is incredible that he hasn’t been tapped on the shoulder, either for national duty [with the Springboks], which I’m sure will come, or his importance recognised by other people.”

White revealed that he had decided to move Kriel to the midfield during the warm-up of the Bulls’ first-ever URC match, against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in September 2021.

“I remember watching [Robbie] Henshaw, [Ciaran] Frawley and [Garry] Ringrose and I thought to myself that the only player we have who is similar to them in terms of body shape and skill set is David Kriel. And at that stage he was playing wing.

“It was then that I decided to move him closer to the ball and I’m so glad I did, because you’ve seen his value over the past four years.”

When asked what made Kriel so special, White added: “He is quick enough to be an outside back, which makes him dangerous inside. He’s got incredible passing skills and he understands defence.

“He’s a bit like [former Springbok centre] Jean de Villiers to me in that he understands how [the opposition] wants to attack and can therefore read the defence. People assume defence means tackling. David tackles well but he also has that defensive understanding. He knows the way [the opposition] stand and who the danger men are in the setup and he will read the play before they can enact it.”

URC REWIND: Bulls vs Leinster

After booking their place in the URC final with a 25-13 win against the Sharks at Loftus last Saturday, White spoke of the Bulls getting a “lotto ticket” for the final.

“What I said is that if you want to win the lotto, you make sure you have a ticket,” White clarified to the Irish media. “There are only two teams that have a ticket now, but that doesn’t mean it’s a lottery.

“There’s a good joke where a guy asks God every day for him to win the lotto. And eventually God said, “Meet me halfway and buy a ticket”‘.

MORE: Jake on ‘underdogs’ Bulls’ final challenge

Having reached three URC finals in four seasons, White said it would be “massive” if the Bulls could finally lift the trophy on Saturday.

“I read an article about the top 15 clubs in the world and their budgets, and we weren’t mentioned. And Leinster would be considered one of those top clubs.

“Playing in three finals shows that this group is good enough, but I’ve been around long enough to know that there’s not a service award. You don’t get to win trophies just because you play in finals. People think if this is your third final, then this is the one you win. But you can play in 10 finals and never win one. There is no right to win these games.

“To get over the line would be incredible for us, a massive achievement, especially for this group who I still don’t think are where they could be.”

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Photo: Euan Cherry/Getty Images