Yokohama Canon Eagles captain Jesse Kriel has vowed to stay in Japan until he leads the Kanagawa club to League One glory.
Kriel, 32, scored eight tries in 13 appearances this season as Leon MacDonald’s talent-rich side finished in a disappointing 10th place finish.
Yokohama lost 12 of their 18 games but produced a three-match winning-streak in April and May to move away from the relegation play-off zone.
The 2023 Play-Off Semi-Finalists will be looking to bounce back next season and challenge for a top-six play-off spot and, while they will do so without Cheetahs-bound Faf de Klerk, his long-time Springboks teammate Kriel will be staying in Japan.
“As a member of the Eagles, I’m aiming for the League One title,” Kriel told Ryutaro Saito on the club website.
“I’m confident that we’re building a team that can win in the end, and everyone has that mindset.”
Kriel shared his immense passion for the Japanese club game and looked back on his first season as the club’s skipper.
“I love the Japanese style of rugby, with its high skill level and fast tempo. Japanese players, especially the veterans, play very intelligently and have a deep understanding of rugby. I want to continue learning from them and expand my knowledge of rugby.
“It was a new experience, different from anything I’d had before,” Kriel said on captaining Yokohama.
“The weight of responsibility changed, but I received solid support from the other leaders throughout the season including CTB Yusuke Kajimura, SO Yu Tamura, FL Billy Harmon, HO Yusuke Niwai.
“They are all excellent leaders who have experience as captains in the past (FL Harmon is a former captain of the Highlanders). I am truly grateful for their support, which went beyond just words. I also feel that I have grown as a leader and gained confidence. At the same time, I believe I still have a lot of room to grow as a captain.”
Yokohama improved as the season went on and enjoyed their best run in the closing weeks having produced a shock 38-29 win away against Dave Rennie’s table-topping Kobe Steelers who will play Kubota Spears in Sunday’s final.
Consistency is the goal for next season.
“It was a really tough season. At the start of the season, our goal was to finish in the top six in the league and advance to the play-off tournament, but we didn’t achieve that. Nevertheless, we learned a great deal, and I think we had a good finish to the season. In particular, the three wins in the last four matches were a great finish and we were able to play a style of rugby that we can be proud of, even against top teams.
“We understand that we need to be able to do that for 18 consecutive matches and continue that in the play-offs, so I’m already looking forward to putting that into practice next season.”
Kriel’s attention now turns to Test rugby for his country, and the inaugural Nations Championship campaign. The Springboks midfielder is on course to play in his fourth World Cup next year.
“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.”
Kriel shared his thoughts on the departure of de Klerk and the legacy he will leave in Japan.
“I think he had a huge impact not only on the Eagles but on Japanese rugby as a whole.
“Everyone loves Faf’s playing style. He’s leaving a tremendous impact when he returns to South Africa, and I and everyone else are proud of that. Still, it’s really sad. The Eagles were a special place for him too, so I hope he’ll come visit the Eagles again someday.”
The 2025 Rugby Championship winner aims to return to Yokohama in peak condition in December and reiterated his goal of leading the club to honours next season.
“I am certain of it, and I promise. I don’t make light promises,” he said.
“I decided to continue playing for the Eagles and declared that I would win the championship with this team, so no matter what happens, I want to achieve that goal.”