De Allende reveals how Jordie Barrett helped improve his game
INTERVIEW: Iron sharpens iron, and that is exactly the case for Springbok centre Damian De Allende when facing All Black counterpart Jordie Barrett.
The duo squared off in three consecutive Tests in as many weeks during the Greatest Rivalry series as direct opponents at inside centre.
While De Allende predominantly wore the No.12 jumper throughout his 12-year Test career, Barrett started at fullback before shifting to the midfield, where he became one of the best in his position.
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De Allende spoke about the impact Barrett had on his game and what his experience was like to play against him.
“I’ve been lucky to play a lot of rugby and came up against several fantastic centres,” De Allende said.
“At the start of my career I got to face Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Sonny Bill Williams. Then also the South Africans like Frans Steyn, Andre Esterhuizen and Jan Serfontein.
“At the moment, the one guy that really stands out for me is Jordie Barrett – his skillset is incredible, he’s got the ability to do basically everything on the field.
“To have played against him the last few weeks… obviously they haven’t announced their team yet, but it’s been a real pleasure facing him.
“I always like to learn a lot on the field, especially playing against my opposition, and I feel that I’ve learned a lot from Jordie Barrett on the field – it’s been incredible to play against him.”
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De Allende added that despite a change in personnel in the All Blacks midfield following Quinn Tupea’s, he expects the battle to remain as fierce as it was during the past three Tests.
“Yeah, definitely, but every Test match is tough; you play against world-class centres no matter which country you play against.
“But this [series] has been a lekker [nice] challenge; it’s sad to hear about Quinn Tupea’s injury, and I wish him a speedy recovery.
“All I can say is every Test match is tough, and this has been an incredible experience and has also been tough, but a good experience.”
