Springboks' central player, Damian de Allende, shared his impressions of the confrontation with his opponent from the All Blacks, Jordie Barrett, ahead of their final match in the greatest rugby rivalry.
The Greatest Rugby Rivalry
De Allende, who plays in the center field for the Springboks, noted that he enjoyed the battle against Jordie Barrett, an All Blacks player. This match will be the last in the series of the Greatest Rugby Rivalry, which will take place in the fourth test match in Baltimore.
These two players have become some of the outstanding participants in the series and will meet again in a tense clash at the M&T Bank Stadium in the USA. For De Allende, the main goal is to gain an advantage to help the Boks win the trophy. Barrett, on the other hand, must find a way to surpass his direct opponent to assert his dominance and ensure New Zealand's ball possession.
According to De Allende, it was incredible to play against Barrett over the last three games. He mentioned that at the beginning of his career, he had the opportunity to play against players such as Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Sunny Bill Williams, as well as South African athletes, including Frans Steyn, Andre Esterhuizen, and Jean Serfontein.
However, he emphasized that currently, the most outstanding player for him is Jordie Barrett. De Allende believes that Barrett's skill set is simply incredible, as he is capable of performing all tasks on the field. He noted that playing against him over the last three weeks brought great pleasure, and he learned a lot from Jordie Barrett.
De Allende added that every test match is difficult because one has to play against world-class players regardless of country. He called this confrontation with the All Blacks a 'pleasant challenge' and expressed regret over Quinn Tupuaia's injury, wishing him a speedy recovery. Nevertheless, he concluded that it was an incredible experience.
De Allende explained his tactics by saying that he focuses exclusively on defending the person directly in front of him, following the Springboks' coaching instructions. This may mean responsibility for a forward running in his zone, or more often—defending against a back-fielder, but he has no preference for choosing a tackle target.
For him, flawless execution is crucial. Although the Boks conceded 13 tries to the All Blacks, De Allende stated that the team is proud of its defense and the work of the coaches preparing it.
Furthermore, De Allende spoke about his friendship with Jesse Kriel, with whom he will start his 48th joint test match for the Springboks. He noted that preparation plays a key role in defense, specifically the coaches' analytical work. He also stressed that Jesse is a defensive leader who helps all players believe in the correctness of the work being done.