Will De Allende play in the test next week?

The following from News24:-

" Damian de Allende was not named in the 35-man Springbok Rugby Championship squad on Monday, but he is not far away from a return.

In fact, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has not yet ruled out the possibility of the 26-year-old inside centre featuring against Argentina in Durban in next weekend's Rugby Championship opener. 

It is surely unlikely, and in De Allende's absence Andre Esterhuizen is the favourite to wear the No 12 jersey, but Erasmus' words to media in Stellenbosch on Monday were curious. 

"Damian is not officially in the squad, but he is very close to being ready for the first game," Erasmus said.

"He might be ready, and I thought he was one of the guys who is slowly getting back to his best."

In the June Test series against England, De Allende was impressive as he showed glimpses of his best form for the first time in a long time in national colours. 

His hard, direct running was the foundation that the Boks built their attacking intensity on in the first two Tests, while he also showed a significant improvement in his offloading and passing ability. 

There is no doubt that, if fit, De Allende would remain the first-choice No 12 for the Boks heading into the Rugby Championship. 

If De Allende is not able to recover from his shoulder injury in time, that would leave Esterhuizen as the only specialist inside centre in the squad. 

The burly Sharks midfielder has started two Tests under Erasmus - and lost them both - to Wales in Washington and then to England in Cape Town. 

"I think a guy like Andre Esterhuizen had a tough run," Erasmus explained.

"Both games that he started were in the wet and it’s not always the nicest thing for the biggest boys. I think he must get a fair chance somewhere."

The other No 12 option in the squad comes in the form of flyhalf Handre Pollard, and Erasmus acknowledged on Monday that such a shift mid-game was a possibility. 

Montpellier's Jan Serfontein, meanwhile, is still on the Bok radar, but remains out in the cold for now. 

He has recovered from a rare thigh injury that plagued his European season in 2018, and Erasmus highlighted the importance of him getting fit and back to his best in France.

"Jan is a guy that at age-group level beat the Junior All Blacks and you can never throw that away," Erasmus said.

"I know he has had a bad injury which he is sorting out. I went to see him, and he is very keen to play for us. He wants to get back to form with his club.

"I can’t see him participating in the Rugby Championship."

This must be the wort news ever for Mozart, Lurker and Pakie.   They were over-happy about the in\jury and that may not last now.

Erasmus was clear on the issue to my mind.  If De Allende is fit to play he will be in the team.   

There is one other issue that must be borne in mind.   RC squads consist normally of 36 players - Erasmus only named 35 players and there is nothing preventing him from adding De Allende as the 36th player.

So lets wait and see what happens next.  

The fact that there is even a discussion around rushing him back into the team just makes clear the dilemma we have at center. De Allende is a decent attacking player, but he is definitely not the best defender. That said, there really aren't a queue of people lining up to take his spot. We have a massive issue in SA at center, and the truth is that since Jaque Fourie and JDV, our cupboard has been empty. 

So on the one hand, I don't have a problem with De Allende being our starting center, but that has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with the fact that there is really nobody else. 

Well ... Lurker thinks it's a good idea to play Mapoe ... so why not slot him in at 12?

Its easy to say that Mozter, but who would you replace him with? You get different kinds of attack, he is effective at getting over the advantage line, that is an attacking weapon. But that is neither here nor there, who do you replace him with? 

As an attacking player, Damian is very limited. He has certain instincts that have been problematic. He wants to beat you on the outside, he doesn't naturally like to cut in or do any of the dirty work, the latter merely leads to dead end slow ball. His distribution isn't very good either. Has no vision. Very weak in the upper body for a test 12. It shows both on defence and attack. He is very strong in the legs though, wit a powerful leg drive that pushes through a tackle once he has targeted an outside shoulder. Likes space. In fact, that's where he is most effective. This is not a 12, but a potential 13. However he cannot defend at all. So, he is eliminated from the list of usable centres. It's very sad that these players get lauded for so long. If it weren't for the ignorant media building up his reputation from nothing he'd have disappeared long ago. Why are they so enamoured with mediocre players? 

Mozart is lieing through his teeth again.  An awful defender does not make 16 tackles in two tests missing only 2.   

And Lurker I onto the BS again.  What he wote is exctly opposite to what the player does. And they are joined by dofdoos  too - what a collection of BSters we have here,

 Most enjoyable thread - I could predict exactly what Mozart and Lurker would come uop with and both ae writing their normal prejudiced crap.     

Prejudiced? Reference one instance of the opposite for the Boks. How many linebreaks does he make or create? How many tries has he scored and assisted? Explain from a technical standpoint what Damian does that is so effective. The floor is yours. Please do better than your "analysis" of the Bok vs All Black test of 2015. That was very embarrassing. 

First of all on Super Rugby level De Allende set a record for line breaks and defenders beaten in a season - 27 clean breaks beating 73 tackles.   On test level I have checked the latest two tests he played in in June;   De Allende made 1 clean break beating 10 defenders and carried the ball for 132 meters.    

And whether you are trying to be clever or not - Nonu was replaced early and in that game  he made 4 tackles and missed 4, he carried the ball 4 times making no line break and carrying the ball 17 meters.   De Allende carried the ball 11 times, making 46 meters and making 2 clean breaks and beating 6 defenders.   

Pakie's description was falsified as it normally is and your crap is worse.   Can you understand even the most basic of rugby questions.   Players performing poorly is often replaced - it happened to Nonu in that game and he was replaced - same happened to Jantjies in the June test.

By the way according to your crap inside centers should not defend against their direct opponents - was that why Fat Fransie missed more tackles than any other center in 2014 and 2015?     You love to use coach manual wording - but fail to realize the implications. 

Pakie's description was falsified as it normally is and your crap is worse.

My description of what?

Of what happened in the test in 2015 against the AB's in the RC.   You did a similar escription about the Aussie test and it was proved to be a lie.   Remember you claimed De Allende made 12 tackles and missed 8 - while the real figure was 15 made and 6 missed.   That made me certain about calling your descrip tions outright falsifications.    

Nah, my descriptions were pretty much spot on and time stamped for anyone to verify. If you can refute them incident by incident based on the footage, fine. Until then, I've brought verifiable evidence, while you've brought nothing but the noises in your head.

Your narrative is that Damian directly "destroyed" Nonu. That never happened. Where the All Blacks playing good that day? No. They didn't. Both sides played poorly, aside from our breakdown work. You lied yet again. I have time stamps for all the 2015 tests and all the games. You'd be best served in being quiet or being honest! Damian was terrible throughout the 2015 season. That was the season where he was statistically the worst defensive centre in Super rugby. Interesting that you ignored that one. For the Boks, he has cost the Boks far more tries than he has contributed to. He cost the Boks against Australia with three tries, almost four. He cost the Boks in the world cup too, where Nonu, as you say, played the fool with Damian. Please cease this cringe crusade. 

...was reading somewhere that Willie Le Roux won't be available either due to his Wasps commitments...he will be released for three RC games and one test only by the Wasps coach ...highlighting a major problem with the reliance on European based players this time of the year as their season is getting underway...

Serfontein is our best 12, not the fastest but head and shoulders above all the rest. He isn't a game breaker like he was hyped to be, getting the tag 'the next Danie Gerber' but he would solve a lot of our problems. He can do most of what you can ask of him, a part from being part of a dual pivot but we have Willie for that. 

And Lurker mentions that one of Damian's qualities as a rugby player is that he wins turnovers, Serfontein is also a contributor in this respect.  

Long time no see Shezza. I think it was Jesse Kriel who was labeled the next Gerber, so by the way. But no matter. I agree on Serfontein being the best option at moment. Certainly the one with the fewest weaknesses.

Pakie

Serfontein is out of rugby until October 2018 with injury and ma y be available for the EOYT after playing some games for his club.

He will have a good flyhalf inside him in Goosen and  not the dead-head Fat Farnsie and the Cat.  So we may see some real progress on his part.

I'm a ware of that Mike, thanks.

Yup, welcome back Shezza. 

People, this whole thread is pointless. It will be De Allende playing, because there is nobody else. Like him or not, that is the way it is. 

Beeno and one or two others have played with the idea of Kwagga Smith at centre, at first I thought that was a bit of a joke, but you know what? Based on our current crop of centers, I'd back that idea. 

This board has a way of being right.

There are always outlying opinions but the general consensus is pretty good at predicting outcomes.

I could list examples but it'd be a waste of time because there are just so many. 

It's very rare that a player performs beyond our overall prediction here.

Faf de Klerk is probably the most recent example of how the board almost got it wrong. We we sort of split down the middle on that one. 

Jantjies being an example of the opposite. An opinion I landed on the wrong side of. But overall, the board's opinion was correct. 

Looking at DomLende, it's quite clear what the general consensus of him is and it'd take a miracle for him to prove us wrong. 

Sometimes one thinks it would be nice if we had more posters but by same token one can't help but think it'd just dilute a very solid opinion/knowledge base. 

Mozart

As per normal your opinion is not based on performance - but on prejudice and a load of BS allegations you have made in the past.   I would accept those allegations if it was factual and if some experts, journalists or commentators confirmed them -  but cannot accept them coming from you only because of your poor record insofar as objectivity is concerned.

There is one thing that you preach as being real - but is anything but true.   I went through all the tests De Allende started in and checked his defensive stats and found the following:-

*   De Allende played at 13 in three tests and not having played in that position before he made only 9 tackles missing 4 - not good enough

*   Since then he had the following tackle stats :-

     Tackles made 101   

      Tackles missed  25

      Mis3ed tackle ratio 19,84

*   De Allende had in the time had during the time two poor games as inside center where he made 24 tackles and missed 10.   Those two games he was totally unacceptable in defense and I have stated such in the past.

*    For the rest of the tests he played in he made   76 tackles and missed 14 for a missed tackle ratio of 15%  and in his last two tests against England it was in fact 18 tackles made and 1 missed with a mtr of less than 6.

It has always been accepted that a missed tackle ratio of 15 is acceptable and to attack a player as a poor defender based on your biased BS is not only ridiculous - but also dishonest.  However, to harp on two tests as definitive of the career performance of players is not only ridiculous and you should really be ashamed of your own dishonesty on that score. 

Secondly the tractoring story - one has to consider actual performance and for that an evaluation of  meter gains, line breaks and defenders beaten is a good reflection of what happened in that kind of aspect.   Your assessment is BS as per normal 

However, basically you will carry on maligning the player - but I dare you to go back and record what happened in attacking play in tests.      

Haha Moz

Easy now!

Remember Bitcoin ;)

Fact is the Lurker is a rugby genius that has evolved a new format were Flyhalf tackles no 13 and inside centers has to tackle wings.   Nonu was not tackled by De Allende and De Allende did not make line breaks and beat defenders involving Nonu/    Nonu was replaced early in the game had nothing to do with De Allende.  He was tackled every time by a wing and his misses tackles was not on D3e Allende it was on the opposition hooker. 

That is typical with the BS the Mongol spread on site - it is ridiculous 

Fact is the Lurker is a rugby genius that has evolved a new format were Flyhalf tackles no 13 and inside centers has to tackle wings.   Nonu was not tackled by De Allende and De Allende did not make line breaks and beat defenders involving Nonu/    Nonu was replaced early in the game had nothing to do with De Allende.  He was tackled every time by a wing and his misses tackles was not on D3e Allende it was on the opposition hooker. 

That is typical with the BS the Mongol spread on site - it is ridiculous 

Fact is the Lurker is a rugby genius that has evolved a new format were Flyhalf tackles no 13 and inside centers has to tackle wings.   Nonu was not tackled by De Allende and De Allende did not make line breaks and beat defenders involving Nonu/    Nonu was replaced early in the game had nothing to do with De Allende.  He was tackled every time by a wing and his misses tackles was not on D e Allende it was on the opposition hooker. 

That is typical with the BS the Mongol spread on site - it is ridiculous 

Clever Mike believes a 10 can only tackle a 10. Not only that he actually believe he sees this in game. Clever Mike, rugby is more fluid. The chief liar is the self-titled Mr.Clever.

I did not say that ever - dimness and you make assumptions so wild it is ridiculous..

No assumptions, just facts, as stated from your own mouth. Getting a bit touchy again, eh? Careful you don't raise your blood pressure again. 

Goosen has become a lost hope, a South African Quade Cooper in my eyes. Serfontein doesn't rely on a running 10 inside him.  

Yep, Goosen was an awful defender. Not much of an attacker from 10 either.

Serfontein is the closest thing we have to a Jean. He'd be my choice. We can have a stable 10-12 combo with him. It's just that niggly 13 position though. We have no clear outside centre. Serfontein has done well there, is he our best choice? Tough questions wit no clear answers. 

13 is an issue, not opposed to your idea for Mapoe and neither am I opposed to Am continuing there but Esterhuizen is going to leave whoever is outside of him exposed.

Jumping the gun but a player I hope comes through the Lions and stacks a claim is Wandasile Similane, just need to see how he copes with senior rugby first.

Here is Pollard's tackles against Aus in 2015. He never once had to tackle his opposite number (Cooper). He had to make 3 tackles on Aus 13 (Kuridrani), 6 tackles on Aus 12 (Giteau) and two on Aus 14 (A-Cooper), as well as on numerous forwards.

2:03 Giteau
7:34 Skelton
31:33 Kuridrani (miss)
31:43 Ashley-Cooper
32:54 Ashley-Cooper (miss)
41:02 Kuridrani
43:14 Horne
46:46 Giteau
46:54 Hooper
50:46 Kuridrani
51:52 Giteau
52:03 Phipps (forced pass)
52:07 Fardy
56:30 Giteau
56:42 Hooper
57:20 Giteau
61:46 Giteau (miss)

He thinks of rugby defence as being first phase possession where everybody is lined up according to their numbers. In reality, from first phase this isn't always the case, as we see many times from Australia alone. Most defensive situations are related to the breakdown. Players are not going to be able to align themselves with their opposite number. Their opposite number may be assigned to attack a different numbered player. Like Jamie Roberts against Jacobs in the Lions series (that was ugly). I tried to explain these things to him, but it becomes quite tiring. He is convinced that Damian and Nonu repeatedly encountered one another in the RC of 2015 and outplayed Nonu so badly that Hansen subbed him. In his own words: "Damian played the fool with Bobu". That wasn't a typo by the way. Nothing I can say will change his mind. Nothing you or anyone else can at will change his mind. It's apparently impossible. 

3.If I give him a shoulder rub he might get distracted... Oh, wait, he passed already.