Jesse Kriel is well deserved of the Springbok captaincy, says Rassie Erasmus

The Bok captaincy is not an honour so easily bestowed on anyone, but Kriel is a veteran of three World Cups and 81 Test matches.

Last week, the No.13 was announced as the stand-in captain for the unofficial Test against the Barbarians after an injury to Siya Kolisi. This week, Kriel gets to do it for real, and according to Bok boss Rassie Erasmus, there are few more deserving.

"We don't want to hand out captaincies like it is something that people don't deserve," the two-time Rugby World Cup-winning coach told the press.

"Jesse is somebody who probably deserves it. [It is important] we get guys like that to understand what a captain needs when he is not a captain.

"Jesse is not one of the young guys in the team, but he is probably one of the fittest. He is probably one of the biggest students of the game.

"He is probably the guy who can always play 80 minutes. He is the guy who can play No. 13 or wing; he has always been the defensive captain when he has played.

"And I think he has developed his attacking game, where he was maybe a little bit straightforward in the beginning. I think he has the grubber now, he's got the passing, he's got the hands, he's got the offload.

"And he is doing it at the highest level. So I think he sets a great example for everybody. For us as coaches, for the rest of the team.

"Being a captain on the day is an honour, and the way he communicates with the referees, brilliant, but there are so many other guys that we could've picked. But Jesse is an absolute student of the game."

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