Springbok Damian de Allende says the test against Japan on Saturday at 1810 (SA Time) will be “fast, physical and exciting," and he is most excited to play against his teammates at the Panasonic Wild Knights.
“It's very exciting. I get to play, or I've played a lot against the other Japanese players that play for the other clubs, but for me this weekend I'm more excited to play against my teammates from Panasonic Wild Knights.”
“I know how good they are and how tough they are, and I'm looking forward to their challenge, and for me, I enjoy those challenges, and I'm going to go out there on Saturday and enjoy myself and make sure that I represent my country the way I always do.”
When questioned what he expects from Japan on Saturday, he said: “They lost by four points against Australia. I think a lot of people are assuming the Springboks are just going to go out and win this game.”
“We know it's not going to be easy. We know it's going to be fast, but we also know that we want to play our brand of rugby, and we know that if we get that right and we are aggressive and physical in a disciplined way and within the rules, then it should be a good day for us."
“We've been preparing for a fast game, and that's the way the Japanese team really want to play the game, so we want to play our brand of rugby, and we want to make sure that we play on our terms.”
“It's going to be very exciting. It's going to be very physical. They obviously got stuck in Australia on the weekend, but we also know, not just me personally, but a lot of us that play rugby in Japan, that the Japanese league isn't easy and it's very tough, so we know what's coming.”
