Springbok centre Damian de Allende, who recently earned the significant career milestone of playing in his 100th Test match, said playing against the All Blacks has been tough, but a massive honour for the Boks, and they can’t wait to run out in front of a new crowd this weekend.
The two teams square off in the final match of the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in Baltimore in the USA on Saturday, and De Allende hoped that the clash would expose the local crowd to a fantastic festival of rugby.
The Springboks will enter the match with the hope of lifting the trophy should they win or draw the clash at the M&T Bank Stadium after taking a two-one lead in the series last week; however, a defeat would see the teams draw the series, making it a vital clash for both sides.
De Allende said that although every Test so far has been very tough, playing in RGR has been “an incredible experience”.
“It is brutal, but it’s also a massive privilege to face the All Blacks four weeks in a row,” he said. “It’s been great for all of us. It’s hard, but it’s a huge honour.”
De Allende, who will line up next to his good friend and fellow centre Jesse Kriel in the midfield again this weekend, looked forward to the clash and showing the American audience what top-class international rugby has to offer this weekend, as the USA looks forward to hosting the 2031 Rugby World Cup.
“I hope they will come watch the rivalry between the Boks and New Zealand; for us it’s very special,” said De Allende.
“In America they don’t know the sport as well as we do, but the best way to sell it is to have them come to the stadium, enjoy the experience, and see the top two teams in the world play.
“That’s the best product they can witness in America right now, and hopefully there will be as many South Africans as possible there, but also a lot of American supporters.”
