Damian shows he still has it
Dominates Blues through sheer grit
IN 2015 centre‚ Damian de Allende was on the cusp of becoming a Springbok regular and possible future Test great.
But then it all came crashing down through a series of injuries and poor decisions.
But after five rounds of the 2018 Super Rugby season‚ De Allende‚ who is now 26‚ is showing more than a hint of the form that made him such an eye-catching prospect nearly three years ago.
Last week‚ against the Blues and more accurately against the Blues midfield featuring Sonny Bill Williams and Rieko Ioane‚ De Allende gave a performance that will be spoken about for years.
What made it more impressive was that he was still struggling the effects of a vicious flu virus that had decimated the Stormers squad in the week leading up to the match.
He had not trained with the team but he only managed a “walk through” at captain’s run on Friday before putting his feet up again.
But on match day‚ he delivered 65 minutes of inspired play that saw him twice put Sonny Bill on the seat of his pants while carving off impressive metres and marshalling the Stormers defence.
It was just a continuation of his form on the tour to New Zealand where he gave sparkling displays against the Crusaders and Highlanders.
By halftime against the Blues though‚ De Allende was running on empty. “He was incredibly pale at halftime‚ I was worried about him‚” coach Robbie Fleck said.
He managed another 25 minutes through sheer force of will though.
Last year he looked set for another big season‚ if 63 minutes of Super Rugby in round one was enough to make a judgment.
In that time against the Bulls‚ De Allende caused endless problems with 85 running metres and three line-breaks before sustaining a severe ankle injury that sidelined him for four months.
“I’ve had a good pre-season and I felt refreshed going into this campaign‚” said De Allende.
“It was tough to come back last year because I didn’t get enough game time when I had recovered. I get my confidence from playing games and although I was two weeks ahead of schedule with my injury I never quite got going.”