Goldrush Ambassador Jesse Kriel’s stellar Springbok career has hit a new high, with the star Springbok centre named as the test captain for the 1st test against Italy at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria on 5 July, 2025. This occasion will mark the first time that Jesse captains the Springboks in a test match, in what will be his 82nd test match.
Jesse was named captain for the first time for the team’s match against the Barbarians on 28 June 2025, after regular captain Siya Kolisi had to withdraw from the team with an injury. Jesse has enjoyed an outstanding rugby career, with the promotion to captaincy a fitting reward for his invaluable contributions to the national team and Springbok rugby in general.
He accepted the captain’s armband with pride and humility, as he spoke on the eve of the match against the Barbarians.
“Excited and honoured to be captaining my country but not much changes as we all have leadership roles within the team and every player is encouraged to take ownership in his role. It sets us up to be developed as leaders. Whether we have 100 caps to our name or are just starting out, we are all leaders in our own way and that setup has helped me to develop. We have had very strong leaders at the helm at the Boks in the form of Siya and Eben (Etzebeth) and I am fortunate to have them to learn from and to be able to follow the example they have set.
“I am excited about the challenge and was nervous when I was first told that I would be captaining on Saturday, but ultimately not much really changes,” he added.
Check out a short history of his rise to the captaincy:
Early Career
Jesse was schooled at Maritzburg College and selected in the Sharks squad for the Under-18 Craven week tournament, where his strong performance saw him included in the South African Schools side in 2012.
The Rise Continues
His first ascent to the higher level occurred in 2013 when he was included in the South Africa Under-20 squad for the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship. The following year, he was included in the South Africa Under-20 side for the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship, and named as one of two vice-captains for the tournament.
Higher honours call
After being selected for the Bulls Super Rugby team in 2015, Jesse enjoyed an impressive tournament and was subsequently selected for the Springboks that year, starting for the first time in a warm-up match against a World XV, helping the team to a 46–10 win. He made his test debut against Australia in the Rugby Championship and scored an outstanding try. He subsequently scored another brilliant try against New Zealand, and was selected for the 2015 Springbok World Cup squad, and was the starting centre in most matches alongside Damian de Allende.
A period of lows and highs
Jesse was solid over the next few years, during a period where he wasn’t regularly included in the starting 15, and also played in the wing position. He was part of the 2019 World Cup winning squad, but had to withdraw with injury in the pool stage. After the World Cup triumph, Lukhanyo Am and De Allende were the main Springbok starting centre pair, which shut Jesse out of most Springbok starting teams.
Jesse Rises Again
An injury to Am in 2023 provided a window for Jesse to shine again, and he took the opportunity with both hands. The reunited pair of Jesse and De Allende excleed and Jesse played a key role in helping to secure the Springbok’s consecutive World Cup victory in 2023 thanks to his outstadning defence and vision on the field. Jesse has earned 81 international caps and has scored 18 tries.
Good Luck Jesse!
From everyone at Goldrush, congratulations to Jesse and good luck to him on his test captaincy debut, as well as the entire Springbok team. Goldrush is immenselty proud of Jesse!