The Seattle Seawolves has Dan Kriel back for the second year of a contract that takes him through the 2024 Major League Rugby season. The 28-year-old center (29 in February) is 6’4″ and 225 lbs.
Dan played 1293 minutes in 17 starts and scored 4 tries for the Seawolves in 2022.
Dan was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and comes from a rugby family. His twin brother Jesse plays professionally, as did his great grandfather John Hodgeson, who had 15 appearances for the British Irish Lions in the 1930s.
Dan attended Maritzburg College and played for the school’s age-grade sides in the Kula Zulu Natal U16 Grant Khomo Week and the U18 Craven Week. After high school, he joined the Blue Bulls Academy and the team won the U19 Provincial Championship. This led to his selection for the South Africa U20s at the IRB Junior World Championship in New Zealand in 2014.
Dan also played in the 2014 and 2015 Provincial Championships, and the 2015-16 Varsity Cup with the University of Pretoria Tuks, who were semifinalists in 2015 where he was selected to the Dream Team. He also played in the 2015 Vodacom Cup with the Blue Bulls. In 2016 he made his Currie Cup debut and played with their Super Rugby side making three appearances.
Dan moved to Cape Town in 2017 to join the Stormers and spent three seasons with the Stormers’ Super Rugby side and Western Province in the Currie Cup competition, where he contributed to their 2017 Currie Cup Championship.
In 2019, he moved to the Lions and Golden Lions in their Super Rugby, Currie Cup, and Rainbow Cup competitions.
Other Articles
DJCoil Rugby articles by Doug Coil are also available on Facebook. Other Social Media sites to follow or subscribe to include Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for interviews.
