mens
international
South Africa center Damian de Allende has singled out Jordie Barrett as a current rival who “really stands out” to him after facing All black people star during Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
The 101-cap Springbok faced some of the best centers of the modern era during his international career, highlighting battles with Ma’a Nona, Conrad Smith and Sonny Bill Williams, as well as compatriots Frans Steyn, Andrea Esterhuizen and Jan Serfontein.
But De Allende reserved special praise for Barrett when he spoke ahead of the fourth consecutive Test this week, describing the 29-year-old’s skill set as “unbelievable” and saying he has the ability to do everything on the field.
The pair faced each other during the first three Tests of the series and De Allende admitted that he used the encounters as an opportunity to study New Zealand midfielder and add to your game.
With the All Blacks yet to name their side for the fourth and final Test, De Allende does not yet know if he will face another fixture this weekend, but described the opportunity to play Barrett over the past three weeks as “a real pleasure”.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of rugby and play against a lot of fantastic centers. Early in my career I played against Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith and Sonny Bill Williams, as well as South Africans Frans Steyn and Andre Esterhuizen and Jan Serfontein.
“But at the moment, the one guy that really stands out for me is Jordie Barrett. I think his skill set is incredible. He’s got the ability to do everything on the pitch at the moment, and to play against him for the last three weeks – and obviously I don’t know what their team is like this weekend – was a real pleasure.”
“I always liked to learn a lot on the court, especially when I was playing against the opposition, and I feel like I learned a lot from Jordie Barrett on the court. It was amazing to play against him.”
