Bok centre pairing Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am in action. Photo: Morgan Treacy/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix
De Allende raves about Bok centre partnership with Am
Damian de Allende says a strong bond with Lukhanyo Am and the easy flow of communication between them has been key to their success.
Bok centre pairing Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am in action. Photo: Morgan Treacy/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix
On Saturday, the midfield duo of De Allende and Am will partner for the 19th time, one more than De Wet Barry and Marius Joubert (18), but still 10 short of the record of 29 Tests together at centre for the Boks, which is held by Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie.
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It’s been a period of widespread milestones for the Springbok squad. De Allende himself earned his 50th Test cap earlier this year, following on from Steven Kitshoff, Handre Pollard, Lood de Jager, Trevor Nyakane, Franco Mostert and Jesse Kriel recently.
De Allende and Am, who proved to be key members of the triumphant Springbok team at the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and earlier this year in the Lions Series, have established themselves as South Africa’s first-choice midfield pairing in the last few seasons.
“Lukhanyo and I have a very strong bond and it helps that we get along so well off the field,” said De Allende, who has played in 57 Tests since his debut against Argentina in 2014.
“Every game presents its own challenges, but we are very composed on the field. We chat a lot during a game and try to stay in the moment, and our mindset is always to be ready for any opportunities that come our way whether that is making a big tackle, getting a steal at a breakdown or making a nice play on attack.”
De Allende added: “We have a good feeling for one another so if I do something on the field, he’s there to back me up and vice versa. Our communication is also exceptional and I think that helps a lot.
“It’s great that we play rugby the way we do and that we have such a good understanding of one another.”
With a big challenge looming against England in the team’s final Outgoing Tour match, De Allende looked forward to the possibility of lining up against Manu Tuilagi.
“Playing against Manu in the Rugby World Cup final was a great privilege – I have a lot of respect for him,” said De Allende.
“As players we always want to test ourselves against the best in the world and he’s right up there. It is unfortunate that Owen Farrell suffered an injury last week, but I’ll enjoy the battle against him (Tuilagi) if he plays.”
Speaking about the team’s mindset going into the match after what has been a testing season, De Allende said: “It’s been a challenging year. We were in a bubble during the Tests against the British & Irish Lions and that was quite tough on us mentally, but we got through it nicely.
“It’s been incredible to be with the guys again. There is one more big game this weekend, and we obviously want to finish off on a high because won’t see each other for the next seven months.”
