VIDEO: 'He has that Damian de Allende look'
SPOTLIGHT: Western Province assistant coach Labeeb Levy believes young centre Jonathan Roche has the attributes to follow in Damian de Allende’s footsteps one day.
The 21-year-old had an eye-catching Currie debut against the Griffons where he scored a hat-trick of tries in a big win.
After that performance, he was rewarded a starting spot against the Bulls in Pretoria and his big frame troubled the defenders on a few occasions.
Levy has a history with Roche since age-group level and sees something special in the youngster.
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“I coached him at Under-20 when he came from Bishops and he came as a flyhalf,” said Levy.
“However, we had Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] with him as well and then he started playing centre at U20 level.
“He had this Damian de Allende look – a nice calm boy, no stress and he has potential with size, but it has only developed over the last two years.
“He had a good Varsity Cup campaign [with UCT] and he has shown glimpses of what he can do.”
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Levy added: “He is a good person, easy to coach and he works well with his fellow players, so hopefully he can keep rising and keep performing.
“This is his time to shine and keep performing well so that he can get even higher honours within the union.”
Western Province will face the Griffons at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday in Round Five of the Currie Cup.
They are currently sixth in the standings with one win from four games.
