Jesse Kriel's read on Ellis Park is straightforward: New Zealand were more clinical, the Boks weren't accurate enough, and the margin for error at this level is razor-thin. He also had a quietly disrupted night himself — shifted to the wing when Arendse failed his HIA, Kriel was effectively neutralised, limited to three carries and dragged into a near-impossible scramble tackle in the build-up to the All Blacks' second try. But his message for the remaining three Tests is clear: treat it like a World Cup knockout run, fix the execution, and the series is still winnable. Whether that belief is well-founded or optimistic spin is the question Cape Town will answer.
AnalysisSpringboksRugby365 · Planet Rugby· updated
Kriel: Three Tests, knockout rugby, and belief the series isn't gone
Kriel argues the Boks can still win the Greatest Rivalry series 3-1, framing the remaining Tests as knockout rugby — while acknowledging New Zealand's clinical edge at Ellis Park was the decisive difference.
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