“If you’re not better now than you were last year, you’ve got a problem,” said Kriel of NZ.
“The big thing for us is that we want to stay ahead of the curve and keep working on our individual skills to get better. I definitely believe we’re a better team than we were last year.
“Our focus now is to train as hard as possible. This is a massive Test for both teams, so it’s important that we are well prepared and have our systems in place.
“The intensity with which we play, and our effort is all that we can control. Both teams are in a similar situation with new coaching staff and players after the RWC final, so this week will be about who prepares the best and uses their opportunities on the day.
“They have unbelievable players with a great skill set, and they play a fast game, so we know what we are up against this weekend.”
South Africa had two bonus points wins over Australia – who are on the foot of the table ahead of their two games in South America.
“Last week we played a completely new team, with a lot of guys that weren’t in the [Rugby World Cup] final,” Kriel said of the Boks’ virtual B team that dusted up the Aussies in Perth.
“Both teams are in a similar space in that a lot of new guys have come in and have put up their hands.”
Kriel has given credit to the impact of Kiwi Tony Brown – the attack coach under Rassie Erasmus this year.
“Brown has been massive since he’s come in. He’s got the guys in the room really excited. I think he’s got us playing a really exciting brand of rugby that the guys are enjoying. It’s nice getting onto the field and being excited about how you’re going to play,” said Kriel.
“You can see quite a bit of change, but you keep the core of what you’ve built on for the last couple years.
“If you look at a guy like Eben [Etzebeth], he’s got an unbelievable pair of hands and offloading ability. If you look from one to 15, there are guys with amazing skill sets.”
The Boks name their team at 8.15pm AEST Tuesday and have flagged issues in the second row with Etzebeth in doubt and RG Snyman and Salmaan Moerat already ruled out.
Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids said: “Yes, we have a few injuries amongst our locks, but it’s part of the game and Pieter-Steph [du Toit] and Ruan [Nortje] had good games in our last outing.
“It’s never nice to lose experience, but this will open up opportunities for other players to put up their hands and show what they can do at the highest level.
“Franco [Mostert], Lood [de Jager] and Jean [Kleyn] are also out and while it may seem like a crisis, we see it as an opportunity to increase our depth at lock and we want the next players to show us what they can do.”
