Jesse Kriel Left Bitterly Disappointed After Springboks’ Loss to All Blacks

• Jesse Kriel has broken his silence after the Springboks suffered another defeat against the All Blacks of New Zealand at Eden Park
• The two-time rugby World Cup champion explained what really happened in the game, which gave an account
• The Springboks captain's views after the match led to different reactions from netizens on social media

Jesse Kriel has joined Rassie Erasmus to share his thoughts about the Springboks' unfortunate defeat against the All Blacks of New Zealand in their first-round tie at the Rugby Championship at Eden Park on Saturday, September 6, 2025.

A poor 17 minutes led to the Springboks being down 14-0, and they had to fight back, with the game ending 24-17 in favour of the hosts.

Kriel was named the captain for this particular tie despite Siya Kolisi being available for the game, but he failed to crown his first-ever match against the All Blacks as captain with a win.

Kriel reacts to the Springboks' loss to the All Blacks

Kriel was deeply disheartened by the team’s defeat to the All Blacks in Auckland and didn’t hold back by acknowledging that the team played badly in some parts of the game.

“We were well aware that New Zealand would come out firing from the first whistle, but like Rassie mentioned, we’re still in the mix for the Rugby Championship,” he said.

“A few poor minutes on our part really hurt us, which is frustrating, but we’ve got another shot at them next week, and we’ll aim to put things right.”

Erasmus, while sharing his views, downplayed the significance of the Springboks' result at Eden Park from his team’s point of view, while also commending the All Blacks for extending their unbeaten streak at the venue, which has remained intact since 1994.

“Had we come out on top, we might’ve talked about the history, but credit to them, they kept their Eden Park streak alive,” Erasmus said.

“It was a tough test, and we fell short this time. But we’ve got another opportunity next week, and that’s where our attention now turns.”

South African rugby fans shared their views on Kriel and Erasmus' reactions to the Boks' defeat against the All Blacks.

Reactions to Kriel, Erasmus' thoughts on the match

MrP wrote:

"First 20 minutes cost us.. but in the second half I saw the toughness that was missing in the first two and a half games. Good comeback, we weren't played, we just made too many errors. Let's do it next week!!"

G-man said:

"I thought the Boks dominated like the Kiwis did last year. That lineout needs work. How can Malcolm say he didn't hear the call? It should be decided two minutes before a lineout is formed. Atrocious. Train them with an oiled ball. Rub it with sunflower oil."

Marco shared:

"Firstly STOP winging Erasmus. At the outset, the team should NEVER have let the AB’s get 14 points in such quick succession. We all knew that the AB’s would place huge pressure on the Boks early on, How is it that you and your cronies did not anticipate this and prepare for it??"

Clibo One reacted:

"It's ok we are still world champs 😂 this is the rebuilding phase. Rugby is much tougher now remmeber. Pain now for more blessings in the end..."

Gerhard Auer commented:

"A fight back would imply that you have won the game and we didn't so don't find any good in the two tries.We don't have a clear style we want to play we are going backwards, and it all down to all our coaches. Every player played badly not one can say they left it on the park."

Micah added:

"Grant Williams killed the first half, and still Rassie sent him out to start the 2nd half. Rassie has lost the plot."

Erasmus explains why Boks lost to All Blacks

Briefly News also reported that Erasmus gave a detailed reason why the Springboks lost to the All Blacks in Auckland.

The Boks' head coach was also disappointed with the performance of the players and the individual errors that cost them the game.

Source: Briefly News