Former Springbok captain Victor Matfield unpacks why Damian de Allende and Jasper Wiese are “the heartbeat” of the world champions’ team right now.
Inside centre De Allende and No 8 Wiese have been rested for Saturday’s Nations Championship clash with Scotland at Loftus, with Rassie Erasmus making 10 changes to the Bok starting XV that beat England last week.
De Allende was named the official Man of the Match, not Damian Willemse, after a reported SuperSport mix-up at Ellis Park. Yet while analysing the Test on the Rugby Rivals podcast, Matfield hailed De Allende as “probably the most underrated player in world rugby”.
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“Damian de Allende, he’s just a workhorse,” the 127-cap lock said. “Just the go-forward he gives to South Africa, the work rate around the park.
“Then Damian Willemse at 15, I thought it was one of his best games I’ve seen him play. Under the high ball, I don’t think he missed one the whole day. He’s got that step that he always beats the first guy.
“The other guy from South Africa who I think people will need to start looking at as one of the best is Jasper Wiese. Every time he carries he gets metres and he gets the South Africans on the front foot, and from there a guy like Manie Libbok can control the game.
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Matfield added: “Jasper Wiese and Damian de Allende are the heartbeat of this South African team at the moment. We’re all about physicality and we’re all about getting on that front foot, dominating the advantage line, and those two guys are just unbelievable.”
The ex-Vodacom Bulls skipper also touched on the competition for De Allende’s No 12 jersey, with André Esterhuizen in top form for the Sharks, but insisted the double World Cup winner is undroppable.
“A guy like André Esterhuizen is just killing it with the Sharks, and then I think ‘how do you keep André Esterhuizen out of the team?’ Then you see Damian de Allende playing and it’s just like ‘you can never drop this guy’.
“I think when Rassie writes down his team, Damian de Allende is probably the first guy he writes down.”
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The post Big Vic on ‘underrated’ Bok Rassie picks first appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former Springbok captain Victor Matfield unpacks why Damian de Allende and Jasper Wiese are “the heartbeat” of the world champions’ team right now.
The post Big Vic on ‘underrated’ Bok Rassie picks first appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
