Damian de Allende, seasoned warrior of the Springboks, is far from letting his flame dwindle as he gears up for the Nations Championship clash against England at Ellis Park this Saturday. Approaching his 98th Test cap, and his 10th battle against the English, De Allende's trophy cabinet boasts every accolade imaginable with the Boks, including dual World Cup victories, a British & Irish Lions series win, and three Rugby Championship titles.
"I'm just as motivated as I was earlier in my career and I would really like to win the World Cup one more time," declared the 34-year-old. He's aware, however, that time is not on his side. "But I know I'm getting older and can't look too far ahead. The most important thing is that I still enjoy my rugby. I feel I can still make a difference."
"England always a great rivalry"
De Allende vividly recalls the 2019 World Cup final win over England as a career highlight, but it's the Boks' stunning turnaround against the English at Ellis Park in 2018 that still echoes strongly for him. "I still get goosebumps when I think about how we turned things around in that game," he reminisced. It was only the second Test with Rassie Erasmus at the helm. "England went 24-3 up and we didn’t really know how to deal with it. I remember us standing under the poles after one of their tries, telling each other we were going to fight back like true South Africans."
"Siya recalls 'tough, emotional' captaincy debut"
From that momentous 42-39 comeback, only De Allende and captain Siya Kolisi remain in the starting XV. As they prepare to face England once again, the echoes of past glories and hard-fought battles will surely be ringing in their ears, fueling their fire for another explosive encounter.