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Red alert Power & finesse
PROFILE | DAMIAN DE ALLENDE RED ALERT: POWER & FINESSE
SPRINGBOK CENTRE DAMIAN DE ALLENDE’S WORLD CUP HEROICS WILL MAKE HIM A LARGE OBJECT ON THE LIONS’ RADAR
Offloading in the tackle during Munster’s Pro14 match against Cardiff Blues
Damian de Allende’s childhood dreams were filled with visions of him running out of the tunnel at Anfield in a red jersey. A die-hard Liverpool supporter who grew up idolising Steven Gerrard, he would not have been able to fathom a future that featured him as one of rugby’s best centres at the age of 29. And yet, here we are.
De Allende has come of age, but his rise into the rugby hierarchy was not easily accomplished as a sport schedule that only offered football from Grade 10 saw him default to rugby on his arrival at Milnerton High School.
His pace, power and natural physicality soon saw him emerge as a star of the oval-ball game on the highly-competitive Western Cape schools circuit. He rose quickly through the ranks at Western Province and made his senior debut in 2012.
De Allende served his Stormers apprenticeship under Jean de Villiers over the next two seasons before being fast-tracked into the national team by then-coach Heyneke Meyer who gave the 23year-old a Test debut in 2014.
Now, as he closes in on 50 Test caps, the powerful centre boasts winner’s medals from the World Cup and Rugby Championship, and is a fixture in a Springbok team that tore through England on the biggest stage in their last match.
Munster quickly signed De Allende after the World Cup and he lived up to his reputation during a productive 2020-21 season, complementing a robust pack by punching holes in the midfield defensive wall to help drive the Irish provincial team in the Pro14 and European Champions Cup.
There can be no denying his value to the Bok cause, and yet De Allende remains a polarising figure boasting supporters and detractors in equal measure. This may have something to do with the understated style of a man who quietly and routinely goes about thumping heavyweight runners, carrying a throng of defenders with him across the gainline and wrong-footing his rivals before firing off pin-point, high-velocity passes.
With De Allende, power is a given, but he brings superb acceleration, speed and a deft offloading ability to the midfield. Those in the know appreciate his value as a weapon in the battle for momentum as he offers real stopping power in defence and almost always makes metres on attack. But, for someone who has previously admitted to playing on instinct, he is also tactically gifted – De Allende wields a seldom-seen kicking skill set that, when combined with his ability to identify space in the backfield, arms him with the tools to be a dangerous first receiver.
He succeeded Jean de Villiers to the Bok No 12 jersey and then defended his place in the run-on side from the challenge of Frans Steyn. If there was a Midfielder’s Guild, those two would have their picture on the wall.
De Allende has nothing left to prove, but playing a leading role in a series win over the Lions would finally sway the last of his critics and draw the credit he deserves.
235
The number of metres De Allende made from 61 carries at the 2019 World Cup
