Bring it on, Kiwis, says De Allende
● Boks ‘not scared’ of returning All Blacks big guns
Springboks centre Damian de Allende is not fazed by the prospect of facing a nearly fullstrength New Zealand side that has been hugely boosted by the availability of several big guns ahead of Saturday’s Rugby Championship showdown at the Westpac Stadium.
Sam Cane, Ryan Crotty, Sonny Bill Williams and Rieko Ioane will be available after missing last weekend’s 46-24 victory over Argentina in Nelson and coach Steve Hansen is expected to include them in the starting lineup.
But a resolute De Allende was not too bothered.
“You always want to measure yourself against big players and this is an opportunity for us as a team to see what we can do,” he said.
“It’s always special and a motivation to face the Haka.
‘‘Every rugby player who wants to play for SA wants to face the Haka.
‘‘When the Haka is done, I hope that we execute our plans well, because if we can stick to the plan for 80 minutes we will have a chance of winning.”
The Boks have been under huge pressure after successive losses to Argentina in Mendoza and Australia in Brisbane.
Despite the pressure on coach Rassie Erasmus, De Allende said the Bok mentor had helped him to grow as a player.
‘‘He has a different way of coaching and he has brought a new dimension to the game.”
De Allende was backed up by flanker Francois Louw, who said they were expecting a physical battle. ‘‘Our game will not only be formulated at their weak points but more at where our strengths are,” he said.
Erasmus is also likely to make a few changes of his own, with Handrè Pollard replacing Elton Jantjies and Malcolm Marx starting in the place of Bongi Mbonambi.
Erasmus must also find a replacement for the injured Makazole Mapimpi and may be tempted to put Jesse Kriel at right wing with Lukhanyo Am at centre.
“We have Cheslin Kolbe who played a full second half last Saturday against the Wallabies on the wing,” he said.
‘‘But we have other options, such as Jesse Kriel and even Am, who has played on the wing.”