Jukskei derby a familial battle for the Kriels
THERE is no doubt that since 1938, when the Bulls broke away from their elder union, the Lions, the two teams have been eye-balling each other with a bit of animosity and plenty of respect.
Since that fateful year, the rivalry has divided families, friendships, the Transvaal, then the PWV and finally Gauteng, because you are either in the one camp or the other.
Pretoria is unabashedly for the Bulls, while in the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area, it can be a bit more tricky.
The East Rand, “they” say, belongs to the men with the Barberton daisy embroidered on their chests, while the south, West Rand and northern suburbs are populated by Lions fans, with a splattering of verraaiers that support the Sharks, Stormers and Gautengers’ second-favourite team – the Free State Cheetahs.
In many respects, the younger sibling has dominated not only the Jukskei derby, but the South African rugby landscape, much to the chagrin of their southern brothers.
Every match-up is personal as both teams strive for bragging rights, while the other seeks comeuppance, revenge, respite, victory.
And while Bulls and Lions fans can gush with hyperbolic platitudes regarding what triumph will mean for their respective teams in the larger picture of the United Rugby Championship, for the Lions’ Richard Kriel, the reality is that he will be looking to really knock over his brother and friend, David in tomorrow’s showdown at Loftus Versfeld (3pm kick-off).
“I can’t wait to play,” said the 23-year-old Richard earlier this week.
“I will be playing against my brother, and it is going to be one helluva party. It is going to be nice to finally play against each other in the URC.”
Kriel – the Lions one – is thus far having a solid season for the Johannesburg-based outfit and has become a fine bit of transfer work by the union.
His height out on the wing has added an extra layer of defence under the high ball, while he has used his long, galloping strides in attacking the wider channels with pace and power.
He has played in all eight of the Lions’ URC matches so far, and is expected to run out in the No 14 jumper once more against the Bulls in Pretoria.
“I am very grateful to get the opportunity to play so much rugby,” he said.
“Here, we have a great couple of guys and huge talent. The team is just growing and growing.
“We had an extra rest day on Monday, and with two sessions, it just comes back again. We are halfway through the season, so everyone knows what to do.
“We are focused on the details,” he continued, looking now to the Bulls clash, “and everybody is fit and ready to go. There are not a lot of things that we need to learn or get into our heads.”
Kriel – the Bulls one – has also played all eight of their matches, switching between inside and outside centre as required, so there is every chance he could run into his younger brother, while each tries to bewitch or goose step the other.
It certainly seems they are taking the clash as seriously as two siblings possibly could.
Said Richard, tongue-in-cheek: “This is probably the first week, since we have been staying together in the same house, that we haven’t spoken to each other about rugby.
“We will have to wait and see on Saturday what happens … I’ll ask (David) during the day, ‘What do you want to eat, or what you want to watch on TV, or do you want to come play UFC with me on the X-Box?’
“That is the only thing we do.
“Obviously, we talk about stuff while we are playing UFC and have normal banter.
“We spoke about (the match) and I told him, ‘Obviously I want to win, but I also want you to do well’. I will just tell him, ‘Good luck, enjoy it, do your best and whoever wins will win (on the day)’.”
Being so professional about a crucial encounter that could define their seasons, it might take a bit of spy work to get the upper hand.
“When he is sleeping tonight,” Richard said, with a chuckle, “I am going to take out his (playbook) and take some pictures.”