Team

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Kriel comes from a strong rugby family. His twin brother, Jesse, is also a professional rugby player and his great grandfather, John Hodgeson, had 15 appearances for the British Irish Lions in the 1930’s. Kriel attended Maritzburg College where he was selected into his school’s age-grade sides. After high school, Kriel joined the Blue Bulls Academy U19 side and quickly became their first-choice center. He helped the Blue Bulls win the U19 championship in 2013 and the U21 Championship in 2014. Thriving in the professional environment, Kriel caught the attention of the Springbok U20 coaches and was selected to their Junior World Cup squad in 2014 and helped them finish second in the tournament. Kriel continued to be a consistent scoring threat as he progressed through the Bulls’ Academy side, he then suited up for the University of Pretoria. He made the Tuks’ Varsity Cup semi-finalist squad and was named to the Varsity Cup Dream Team in 2015.