De Allende Opens Up on Tough All Blacks Rivalry

Springbok centre Damian de Allende says playing against the All Blacks has been tough, but a massive honour for the Boks and they can’t wait to run out in front of a new crowd this weekend.

The two teams square off in the final match of the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in Baltimore in the USA on Saturday, and De Allende hoped that the clash would expose the local crowd to a fantastic festival of rugby.

The Springboks will enter the match with the hope of lifting the trophy should they win or draw the clash at the M&T Bank Stadium after taking a two-one lead in the series last week, however a defeat would see the teams draw the series, making it a vital clash for both sides. xsportfeed.quest

De Allende said that although every Test so far has been very tough, playing in RGR has been “an incredible experience”.

“It is brutal, but it’s also a massive privilege to face the All Blacks four weeks in a row,” he said. “It’s been great for all of us. It’s hard, but it’s a huge honour.”

Asked what he made of facing the All Black centres, De Allende said: “You play against world-class centres every week, no matter who you face, and it has been a real challenge.

“Obviously it’s sad to hear about Quinn Tupaea’s injury, and I wish him a speedy recovery.

“I’ve been lucky to play a lot of rugby and face many of fantastic All Black centres. Early in my career I got to play against Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, and Sonny-Bill Williams, and also South African players like Frans Steyn, Andre Esterhuizen and Jan Serfontein.

“But at the moment, the one player who really stands out for me is Jordie Barrett. His skill set is incredible. He has the ability to do everything on the field, and playing against him these past three weeks has been a real pleasure.

“I always like to learn a lot from my opposition on the field, and I feel like I’ve learned a great deal from Jordie.”

De Allende, who will line up next to his good friend and fellow centre Jesse Kriel in the midfield again this weekend, looked forward to the clash and showing the American audience what top class international rugby has to offer this weekend, as the USA looks forward to hosting the 2031 Rugby World Cup.

“I hope they will come watch the rivalry between the Boks and New Zealand – for us it’s very special,” said De Allende.

“In America they don’t know the sport as well as we do, but the best way to sell it is to have them come to the stadium, enjoy the experience, and see the top two teams in the world play.

“That’s the best product they can witness in America right now, and hopefully there will be as many South Africans as possible there, but also a lot of American supporters.”

The team enjoyed an off-day on Thursday to recover from the last three weeks of intense rugby and to tune their minds into Saturday’s encounter. The match kicks off at 17h00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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Chelsea retrouve la Premier League ce samedi avec la réception de Hull City à Stamford Bridge, à l’occasion de la 4e journée. Après avoir concédé leur première défaite en championnat le week-end dernier face à Arsenal, les Blues veulent repartir de l’avant. Mais face à eux se présente un promu qui a parfaitement réussi son début de saison.

Chelsea veut repartir de l’avant

Après deux victoires lors des deux premières journées, Chelsea a vu sa série s’arrêter sur la pelouse d’Arsenal, avec une défaite 2-1. Les hommes de Xabi Alonso restent néanmoins bien placés avec six points au compteur et comptent profiter de cette rencontre à domicile pour renouer avec le succès.

Les Londoniens ont également fait le plein de confiance en milieu de semaine en Coupe de la Ligue. Menés 2-0 par Leeds, les Blues ont finalement renversé la situation pour s’imposer 6-3. Une réaction qui devra désormais être confirmée en championnat.

Hull veut poursuivre son excellent départ

En face, Hull City arrive à Stamford Bridge avec un bilan particulièrement intéressant. Promu cette saison, le club compte déjà sept points après trois journées et n’a toujours pas encaissé le moindre but en Premier League. Les Tigers ont notamment créé la surprise en s’imposant 2-0 sur la pelouse de Manchester United lors de la première journée.

Cette solidité défensive constitue le principal atout de l’équipe dirigée par Sergej Jakirović. Hull tentera donc de prolonger son invincibilité et de résister à l’une des attaques les plus prolifiques du championnat.

Le duel s’annonce ainsi intéressant entre un Chelsea ambitieux, qui veut rapidement retrouver le chemin de la victoire, et un Hull City qui entend continuer à surprendre pour son retour dans l’élite.

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Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said while they expected a desperate performance from the All Blacks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series decider in Baltimore on Saturday, their inspiration to finish with a win and clinch the trophy was fuelled by making their supporters proud.

Adding to the motivation for the team, it will mark Rassie Erasmus’ 100th Test match in his two roles with the Springboks since his appointment in 2018, as head coach and Director of Rugby.

“We definitely want to win the series,” said Kolisi.

“We don’t want to draw it, and that has been our mindset this week. The All Blacks have brought in new players and we’ve had to look at them and what they could bring differently this weekend, so we’ve done our homework.

“But the key thing for us will be to make sure we enforce our game on them, and pitch up physically on the day.

“We’ve all seen in the last three games that if you are not at your best, they have what it takes to punish you. But so do we, and we want to make sure we keep making our people proud.”

Kolisi elaborated on the magnitude of the match and the series: “We’re growing and learning on the go, because it is a tough series and we’re playing the same opposition four times in a row.

“They get to know you, and you get to know them, so you have to find other ways and other weaknesses. This week we’re playing almost a new All Blacks team compared to last week, and Richie Mo’unga brings a different dynamic, so it might be different from the other games.

“In my experience, it doesn’t get tougher than this. It’s like playing four Rugby World Cup finals in as many weeks given the quality of both teams. We both want to enforce our style of play on the game.

“We may be leading the series, but we know on the other side they are desperate to level it up, so we want to make sure we finish properly tomorrow.”

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Stick said it was no surprise to the Bok coaches that Mo’unga would start the match at flyhalf following the All Blacks’ team announcement on Thursday, and he shared his skipper’s sentiments about what the team had to do to be victorious in the inaugural series.

“As coaches, we expected that selection,” said Stick.

“Richie is world class and we know him well. Ruben Love has also been playing really well as one of the young and upcoming stars in that team.

“I think the All Blacks are going to be even more bold tomorrow when it comes to keeping the ball alive and using the wide channels, and we know how dangerous they are.

“But we’ve played against them many times, and the most important aspect for us is to enforce our game on them physically and go from there. They have a top-class team, and they’re desperate to level the series. But we are also a passionate nation and we want to make our country proud.”

Of the intense aura around this match given the high stakes between the two best teams in the world, Kolisi – who will earn his 107th Test cap when he takes the field – said: “What matters within our circle is what we want of each other. What is said outside doesn’t really matter because we do what works for us, and we know who we are and want to stick to the way we play.

“Our system isn’t rigid. We can play set-piece rugby and a kicking game. We don’t have a system that says we have to play a certain way. It’s one that creates opportunities for us to play, so as long as it works, we’ll stick to it, and if it doesn’t, we’ll find a better way to do things.”

Stick was thrilled to see all the Springbok supporters in Baltimore, many of whom are expats who have travelled from different states in the USA to attend the match in Maryland.

“America has been great so far – it’s very humid here, but most guys are used to it, especially those who have played in Durban, where the conditions are similar,” said Stick.

“There are a lot of South Africans here and the vibe is great, so we are excited about the opportunity to promote rugby in the USA. Everywhere you go around the hotel you see green and gold and people are proud to see us, so we want to make sure we represent them and put up a good show.”

Asked if he had experienced something uniquely American this week, Stick said: “I went to watch a baseball game, so I managed to tick off a bucket list item. It’s always nice to learn from other codes. I thought (Kagiso) Rabada (Proteas bowler) was fast until I saw those pitchers. It was an amazing experience.”

The match kicks off at 17h00 (23h00 SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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England beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the third Test at Edgbaston to complete a 3-0 series sweep, despite losing both openers inside the first over of their chase.

Chasing just 130, Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay were both dismissed by Mohammad Abbas without scoring, before Joe Root steadied the innings alongside Jordan Cox. Root survived two let-offs, a no-ball reprieve after chopping on off Mohammad Ali, and a dropped catch between the slips off Abbas, before reaching a half-century off 57 balls. He finished unbeaten on 62, with Cox unbeaten on 59, as England reached the target in the 25th over.

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The tense finish came after Pakistan debutant Razaullah, who also took four wickets in England’s first innings, hit an audacious 81 off 63 balls including nine sixes, adding 121 for the ninth wicket with fellow paceman Abbas (42) to briefly threaten an England collapse on the third day.

Razaullah’s innings could not prevent Pakistan slumping to a miserable series, having already lost the first Test by an innings and 103 runs and the second by 194 runs. The tourists sent seven players home after the Lord’s defeat, bringing in seven replacements including Razaullah, and sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul as the tour descended into chaos.

Pakistan were bowled out for just 133 in their first innings at Edgbaston despite four changes to their side.

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The clean sweep offers England a significant boost following a turbulent few months that included a series loss to New Zealand and the departures of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. Tougher tests await, though, with a tour of South Africa in December and January followed by a home Ashes series next year.

– AFP

Photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

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