Currie Cup might be good for Bok discard De Allende to regain confidence and fitness

27 September 2016 - 13:30 By Craig Ray

A year ago‚ centre Damian de Allende was considered one of the best players in the Springbok team‚ but‚ 12 months on‚ his Test career appears to be at crucial intersection. On Monday‚ Bok coach Allister Coetzee cut De Allende from the squad. Instead of facing the Wallabies at Loftus in a Rugby Championship match on Saturday‚ he’ll be playing for Western Province against Boland in the Currie Cup on Friday night.This time last year he’d just terrorised the Samoan defence in Birmingham during the World Cup and was about to do the same to Scotland in Newcastle.In 2015‚ De Allende could do little wrong as he cut through defences with impressive ease at both Super Rugby and Test level. He was narrowly pipped in the voting for 2015 SA Player of the Year‚ which went to lock Lood de Jager. Now’s he’s surplus to requirements in a Bok midfield that has misfired all year.Springbok trio released for Currie Cup actionSpringboks Damian de Allende‚ Lwazi Mvovo and Malcolm Marx were released by the national team on Monday and will be available for Currie Cup selection for this coming weekend. It’s been a rapid descent compared to the speed with which he rose up South African rugby’s escalator.His form has been poor this season and it’s not surprising that Coetzee has cut him loose‚ but how is it possible that such a good player‚ who’s class was obvious at the highest level last year‚ could have gone backwards so quickly?A big part of the problem is lack of fitness because of injuries and ultimately an erosion of confidence. De Allende simply didn’t have an off-season following his manic 2015 playing schedule because he chose to take up a short-term contract in Japan immediately following the World Cup.Physically he doesn’t look to be in the same peak shape he was at RWC 2015. Of course proving this is near impossible‚ as players’ physical data is not released to the media. But to the naked eye he appears a little heavier and a little slower than 12 months ago.Besieged Coetzee recalls Lambie‚ Le Roux to Boks squad to face All Blacks‚ AustraliaSpringbok coach Allister Coetzee has recalled fullback Willie le Roux and also included fit-again flyhalf Pat Lambie in a 31-man squad to face Australia and New Zealand in South Africa. Usually defence gives a good indication of fitness as it shows how hard players are working without the ball. And the stats are telling.In last year’s Rugby Championship De Allende played 240 minutes compared to the 182 he’s played in 2016. Yet the difference in the amount of tackles he made last year compared to this is staggering.In the 2015 tournament De Allende made 29 tackles and this year he made only five. He was ranked seventh in terms of tackles made last year and 33rd this season.And another telling stat is that in last year’s Rugby Championship he affected four turnovers and in 2016 he made none.In terms of attack he made no handling errors in 2015 and this year he made five. Statistics aren’t the only measurement but the evidence does point towards someone generally off the pace.Time for tough decisions to be made by Springbok coach Allister CoetzeeAllister Coetzee has had four Tests in charge of the Springboks and the time is approaching when he will have to make some big decisions about key personnel. Financially and in terms of personal growth the Japan sojourn made sense in the short term‚ but from a career perspective the decision has hurt him as he suffered a serious ankle injury.De Allende told the Stormers magazine earlier in the year about the setback.“I took a short ball off nine‚ and the opposition scrumhalf tackled my legs‚” De Allende said. “[The scrumhalf] fell on my right ankle and my lateral ligament snapped. I was flown back to South Africa for an operation.“I basically had to strengthen my leg again‚ because when you have an injury like that you lose a lot of muscle around your calf‚ hamstrings‚ and quad. You don’t want to run straight away because you’ll be imbalanced‚ so it’s quite a long process.”It’s debatable whether he has made a full recovery from the injury‚ especially in terms of the damage it must have done to his confidence.Coupled with seismic changes in the Springbok camp‚ which involved a new defence coach‚ a new flyhalf and a new centre partner‚ and it’s obvious De Allende has struggled with the transition.Throw in the fact that the 24-year-old‚ with only 16 Test caps at the time‚ was the second most experienced Bok backline player behind Bryan Habana at the start of the Rugby Championship and it’s easy to see why he could have battled mentally.The Currie Cup might just be the level De Allende needs to regain some confidence and fitness‚ because he’s too talented and too young to be thrown on the Test scrapheap. – TMG Digital..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.