Springboks captain’s verdict on playing year-round amid global calendar talks: ‘I’ve been doing this for seven seasons’
Springboks and Canon Eagles centre Jesse Kriel.
Springboks centre Jesse Kriel is unfazed about playing rugby year-round as unions continue to press for a global calendar.
The double World Cup winner is one of many South African players who effectively play year-round between his club and international commitments as he plies his trade with Japanese side the Canon Eagles in between representing the Springboks.
Due to the scheduling of the club competitions and the timing of the international windows, the reality is that many South African and Argentine players, in particular, don’t have a clear rest period in the calendar, with Kriel stating that he plays 11 months a year.
Global calendar politics
These players rely on their respective clubs and countries to manage their playing minutes, with Rassie Erasmus and Felipe Contepomi both heavily rotating their squads last year.
Efforts are being made to change this reality for players with SA Rugby campaigning for change, suggesting that the Rugby Championship should shift in the calendar and be played at the same time as the Six Nations.
However, New Zealand have reportedly been the biggest detractors, vetoing what was described as the ‘first credible attempt’ at a global calendar.
“In the past, when we last talked about it seriously, New Zealand was the biggest challenge. Australia is now on board,” SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said on the Rapport Praat Sport podcast earlier this year.
“We have a good chance of getting through this time. I think New Zealand also understands that there are more solutions and positivity than negativity to change the seasons.”
Speaking to The Post on the topic, NZRPA chief Rob Nichol said: “For us to seriously contemplate something like this, it’s really got to be a very compelling case as to why we would do that. So, that’s the challenge that’s been laid down. It’s easy for a party to say. ‘Oh, we’d just really like to see a Rugby Championship at the start of the year’.
“Well, that’s nice that you’d like to see it there, but what does it actually mean for everyone?”
Jesse Kriel’s take
While the bigwigs debate the topic and push their agendas, 32-year-old Kriel accepts that it’s simply the reality of his job and has learnt to adapt to it, having joined the Canon Eagles back in 2020.
Since his Test debut in 2015, Kriel has been a consistent feature in the Springboks squad, and that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon after he captained his country for the first time last year and emphatically stated that he intends to remain in Japan beyond this season.
Speaking to the Eagles’ official website, the Bok veteran was asked whether it has been tough for him to effectively play year-round.
“I’ve been doing this for seven seasons as a professional rugby player, so I’m used to it, and every year I make a point of resetting after the test match period and coming back to the Eagles fresh,” he explained.
“I continue to live a life where I play rugby for 11 months out of the year, but that’s the lifestyle I’ve chosen. I truly love and enjoy this lifestyle, and it’s a source of motivation for me.”
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Precious time off
Kriel and the Eagles set lofty standards of making the Japan Rugby League One knockouts this season, but a poor start to their campaign curtailed their chances of doing just that. However, they did finish their season with three important wins to avoid the promotion-relegation play-off.
That means that the centre has an extended break before he links up with Erasmus and the Springboks ahead of the 2026 international season.
“Since we didn’t make it to the playoffs, I get two weeks off. Those two weeks are as precious to me as two months,” he laughed.
“I’ll use that time to refresh myself, do some hard physical training, and be in top condition when I join the Springboks’ training camp. So even though it’s the off-season, I won’t stop training. I’m enjoying this kind of playing career. I don’t want to have any regrets when my career ends, so I always want to do my best and become the best player in my position.”
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Rassie Erasmus: ‘It would be awesome’
While Kriel is content with the current calendar, Erasmus has openly campaigned for the changes to be made.
“I think it will sort out a lot of problems for us. Players resting or managing the number of games a player can play, so getting it synced, I think player welfare and rules of competitions, all those kinds of things are easier to implement and to adapt to,” Erasmus said in January.
“So, it looks like they’ll keep putting questionnaires out and high-performance committees looking at it. I’m not sure where it is (negotiations regarding it at the moment) and when it will start, but I think it will be awesome.”
READ MORE: Rassie Erasmus: ‘It looks like everybody’s taking global calendar seriously now’
