Get to Know Dan Kriel—Longtime Seawolves Center Talks Life Story, Rugby, Charity

Seawolves center Dan Kriel talks to fans after a Seawolves rugby game in 2025. Credit: Dan Kriel/Instagram.

On the pitch, he has proved himself a key stalwart of one of MLR’s most storied sides. Off it, his cause is more personal.

The name Kriel is shared by two twin rugby players, separated by the world’s largest ocean but not by much else. Both are originally from South Africa, both played on the Junior Springboks 11 years ago, both have since racked up strong professional rugby careers as centers. 

Dan Kriel is the stateside half of the duo, having made Seattle his home. He has four Seawolves seasons notched in his belt, during which he has been capped 60 times, scored 60 points, gained 3530 meters, and made 521 tackles. Before then, he played a combined four seasons in Super Rugby for the Lions, Stormers, and Bulls—South African sides who were then a part of that competition but now play in the United Rugby Championship.

But before all of that, the Kriels grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. The Rainbow Nation is one of the world’s largest rugby playing countries, so it was natural for the twin brothers to take to the pitch as youngsters. Even at a young age, it was a case of iron sharpening iron.

“You grow up in the States with a baseball bat, a mitt, with a football. That’s the same in South Africa—cricket and rugby are really big sports there, so I started playing rugby at a pretty young age,” Kriel said. “Growing up with him [Jesse], it was pretty special, we played in all sports together, and he would always be the first person to tell me whether I was doing something wrong or right, he would be my biggest critic.”

The duo continued playing as they attended boarding school at Maritzburg College in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Although the rugby side of Maritzburg was surely enjoyable—and Maritzburg is the most successful rugby school in KwaZulu-Natal—Kriel credits his time there with learning valuable life skills as he grew to adulthood.

“It’s a great school, but it teaches you values, it teaches you morals and a lot of stuff like self respect,” Kriel said. “You make your own beds in the morning, you polish your shoes, you fold your own laundry, but it's just, yeah, it's a special place. Miss it big time, still have lifelong friends from there.”

The Kriels’ journey together continued to the world stage. Both Dan and Jesse were part of a Junior Springboks side in 2014 alongside a multitude of players who went on to various national teams across the world. Duhan van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman are on both the Scottish national team and the British and Irish Lions. Others, including Warrick Gelant, André Esterhuizen, Thomas du Toit, and Jesse, ended up on the Springboks. Although that 2014 team lost in the IRB Junior World Championship, head coach Dawie Theron made sure everyone knew the skill that existed in that clubhouse.

“[Theron] told us, ‘this is a really special group, a lot of these players are going to go on and make really successful rugby players in their careers,” Kriel said. “A lot of us have stayed friends for a really long time, and it’s awesome to see all of them doing so well in their rugby careers.”

Although Jesse and Dan spent one season together in Pretoria with the Bulls, their careers began to diverge. Jesse began playing for the Springboks during the 2015 Rugby Championship and remained with the Bulls for a few more years, whereas Dan went to a couple more teams during his Super Rugby career. Dan’s years in Super Rugby allowed him to travel across several countries, and this encounter with the world is something he remembers fondly.

“We felt like kings. Training was obviously a bit more on the lower key, just trying to adjust to time differences and time zones,” Kriel noted. “But it was cool, you get to explore different countries and different cultures with a great bunch of guys from your team. It’s good memories that last a lifetime.”

The COVID pandemic threw a massive wrench in both their lives, with its fallout resulting in the exit of South Africa’s teams from Super Rugby. Although the South African teams ended up realigning into the United Rugby Championship as the world resumed, the Kriels looked to other pastures. Jesse, as previously mentioned, ended up in Japan, while Dan ended up in the States with the recommendation of some old friends.

“They put us in touch with our head coach–and now director of rugby–Alan Clarke, and I jumped on a call with him,” Kriel said. “A couple weeks later, my wife and myself flew over, we met all of them, met a lot of the owners of the team, and the rest is history.”

His impact on the field was immediate, as he rapidly became a core member of the team alongside such names as Riekert Hattingh and J.P. Smith. During each of his first three seasons on the Seawolves, he made at least three tries, gained at least 982 meters, and made at least 140 tackles. 

Unfortunately for Kriel, his 2025 season was hampered by injuries. Seattle’s center suffered a right calf strain early on in the year, and his ability to drive forward took a hit, with his meters made dropping from 982 to 231 (though it should be noted that MLR switched statistics services between 2024 and 2025, something that resulted in meters as officially counted dropping across the board). His tackles, meanwhile, dropped from 140 to 87, while Kriel played in 12 matches in 2025 compared to 15 his previous year. And at the very end of the regular season, Kriel suffered a torn hamstring, though with that one he has a full off-season to recover.

“The thing with injuries, especially with muscle strains and tears, there’s always that little bit of doubt that you might do it again,” Kriel observed. “I was really fortunate that we’ve got really good medical staff.”

Injury or not, Seattle ended up being a perfect home for the always-active Kriel and his family. Over the past four years, he has greatly enjoyed exploring the outdoors around the Emerald City, especially during the drier, warmer months.

“I mean, you've got beautiful forests and mountains and lakes and rivers,” Kriel said. “Having young kids—our son is six and our daughter is eight—we spend quite a bit of time outdoors, mainly during the spring and summer, not really during the wintertime when it's wet.”

Even as he made this world-changing move across hemispheres, he and his family were struggling with one of the most difficult experiences life can offer. 

Dan Kriel’s wife, Candice, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer while they still lived in South Africa. To make matters even worse for the Kriels, this all occurred during the height of the pandemic. Hospitals were packed full and strict visitation protocols were in place, and yet the amount of children they saw there suffering from cancer pierced the young parents’ hearts.

“My wife received a big box of presents in hospital after surgery,” Kriel recalled. “She said that it lit up her day and made it feel like it was Christmas morning. She said that if she’s feeling like that, imagine what these kids would feel like.”

It served as the genesis of a charity called Happy Bundles, an initiative of the Kriels to send boxes of personalized gifts to kids suffering through cancer. It certainly isn’t easy work—the Kriels do the majority of the legwork, from talking to parents to find out what to send to ordering the gifts, and the heartbreak when one doesn’t make it is immense. But the Kriels very much strive to do these good deeds and help some of the most vulnerable through their darkest times.

“[Candice] was given 18 months to live by an oncologist,” Kriel recalled “It’s really good to give back and try and put smiles on these kids and their families’ faces, add a bit of value, and and just take your time and make the world a better place.”

Happy Bundles moved with the Kriels from South Africa to the Pacific Northwest, and Candice luckily recovered and is currently in remission. The two are hosting their first charity gala at the Washington Athletic Club on September 13th, 2025, where they hope to raise a sizable sum. That date is certainly circled on their calendars, as they have spent the past few months doing extensive legwork, partnering with businesses for auction tables, and getting the word out about their charity.

“It’s our first gala dinner in America, so a lot of pressure on us,” Kriel said. “When it's something that you are so passionate about, and it's so close to your heart—it's pretty much our third baby—it makes the work a lot easier when it's something that you love doing.”