Springbok captain Jesse Kriel sets lofty goal in Japan amid transfer rumours

A double Rugby World Cup winner with South Africa, Kriel has been plying his club trade at the Yokohama Canon Eagles since 2020, having started his career at the Bulls.

Last year, the 32-year-old had the honour of captaining the Springboks for the first time, becoming the 67th Test skipper, and upon his return from international duty, he took on the role at club level. In doing so, Kriel became the first foreign-born captain of the Eagles and led the side through a challenging season where they lost 12 of their 18 games.

That run of form meant that Canon finished 10th overall and crucially avoided the promotion-relegation matches. Despite the underwhelming campaign, Kriel has lofty ambitions for the Japanese club and has promised to achieve them before leaving the country.

Late last year, he was linked with a departure from the Eagles, with a report stating that PREM Rugby and Top 14 clubs were 'set to go to war over his signature,' but Kriel has emphatically stated that he will be sticking around in an interview with the Eagles' official website.

"I won't leave Japan until I win the championship with the Eagles," he said.

At 32, Kriel still has plenty of rugby, especially considering the fact that players are playing well into their 30s nowadays, and while he would be a real asset to any professional club, he clearly has unfinished business in Japan.

"As an Eagles player, I'm aiming for the league championship. I'm confident that we're building a team that can win in the end, and everyone has that mindset," he added.

"It was a really tough season. At the start of the season, our goal was to finish in the top six in the league and advance to the playoff tournament, but we didn't achieve that. Nevertheless, we learned a great deal, and I think we had a good finish to the season.

"In particular, the three wins in the last four matches were a great finish (three consecutive wins against Urayasu D-Rocks, Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Sagamihara Dynaboars from Round 15 ), and we were able to play a style of rugby that we can be proud of, even against top teams. Of course, we understand that we need to be able to do that for 18 consecutive matches and continue that in the playoffs, so I'm already looking forward to putting that into practice next season."

Another factor that is keeping the former Bulls star in Japan while many of his fellow countrymen have been sealing moves back to South Africa is the style of play in the JRLO.

"I love the Japanese style of rugby, with its high skill level and fast tempo. Japanese players, especially the veterans, play very intelligently and have a deep understanding of rugby," Kriel said.

One of those players returning to the Republic is Eagles' teammate Faf de Klerk, who has signed a deal with the Cheetahs, completing a four-year stint at Yokohama.

"It was a truly special time. Faf and I were teammates and friends at the Springboks before he came to Japan, but our time together at the Eagles made us best friends," Kriel said.

"He's very sad to be leaving Japan. He's not the type to show his emotions that much, but when we were reminiscing about our time at the Eagles, I think I saw him being sentimental for the first time.

"I think he had a huge impact not only on the Eagles but on Japanese rugby as a whole. Everyone loves Faf's playing style. He's leaving a tremendous impact when he returns to South Africa, and everyone else are proud of that. Still, it's really sad. The Eagles were a special place for him too, so I hope he'll come visit the Eagles again someday."

READ MORE: Faf de Klerk has hit the ground running at the Cheetahs, but for how long?