De Allende relishing 'much louder' Ellis Park

Hard-running Springbok centre Damian de Allende is looking forward to the contest this weekend against the All Blacks, saying that Ellis Park will be a much louder affair than Mbombela Stadium last weekend. 

The Boks took the All Blacks apart in front of a spirited Nelspruit crowd on Saturday but will be relishing the prospect of doing battle in front of roughly 62 000 passionate and often hostile fans at Ellis Park this weekend. 

“What we experienced at Mbombela was special but I think it is going to be even louder at Ellis Park,” de Allende said. 

“We as players regard Ellis Park as a national treasure and we can’t wait for Saturday. 

“When the Lions were enjoying that great run in Super Rugby under Johan Ackermann, it was very hard for visiting teams. There is something about the atmosphere that the stadium can generate... 

“It promises to be a fantastic occasion but we are very aware that the All Blacks also enjoy Ellis Park where the pitch is fast and dry. They will rise to the occasion, they won’t be holding back in conditions that favour their running game, and it will also be much cooler than it was in Nelspruit — later in that game the ball got quite greasy, it was very warm, and handling became difficult for them when they had to chase the game.” 

When asked by reporters whether the Boks feel that the All Blacks are ripe for the plucking, de Allende would not be drawn into an answer indicative of any sort of complacency. 

“They are going through a tough time and I hope it passes for them but not this week!” he grinned. "Look, they have so many game-breakers and pretty soon the passes are going to start sticking and they will be devastating,” he said. “They are so highly skilled, they can throw the ball around from anywhere on the pitch and you never know what is coming, and we know we have to stay alert and aware for the entire 80-odd minutes.” 

When one considers where the Boks were five years ago, it has been a long road out of some very dark days. Reflecting on the journey, de Allende shared his thoughts. 

“What we went through in 2016 and 2017 was very tough. Then Rassie (Erasmus) and Jacques (Nienaber) came in and they got buy-in from the players regarding their philosophy on how to win Test matches. 

“They had a plan, they were consistent in everything they did from selection to game plan. There was alignment with everything we did and an emphasis on the importance of every minute of every Test match, and Jacques brought in a new mentality on defence. 

“From that first series we played against England in 2018 they kept pushing us on to go harder and make better decisions on the field, and the harder we went, the greater the reward we got.”