21 October 2019, by: Quintin Van Jaarsveld

BEST BOKS: De Allende took centre stage in Tokyo

Damian de Allende’s monstrous performance in midfield made him the Springboks’ most valuable player in their 26-3 Rugby World Cup quarter-final win over hosts Japan in Tokyo on Sunday, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The one backline player who matched the workrate of the rough and ruthless forwards, De Allende delivered a brutal and balanced performance. The colossal inside centre was unstoppable on attack and immovable on defence…powerful and peerless in terms of producing a complete performance.

That said, it was his stellar defensive work, in particular, that made him such an influential figure. Imposing, industrious and intelligent, he took up the role of ‘hard-working’ hitman. Always dependable on defence, De Allende ramped up his tackling intensity and output, a potent combination that saw him make crucial plays.

At 1.89m and 101kg, he serves as a roadblock on first and second phase, but in open play, that considerable bulk carries with it the risk of being beaten for pace by smaller, faster attackers.

This was where De Allende really shone; his added hunger and vast experience put him in the perfect place at the perfect time in terms of tracking back, beautifully highlighted by his try-saving tackle on left-wing Kenki Fukuoka in the 13th minute and equally important breakdown turnover five metres from the Springboks’ tryline moments later.

He won a second turnover on the floor early in the second half that created one of several try-scoring opportunities not taken. The 27-year-old made 14 tackles in total, second only to Lood de Jager, and when it comes to intensity, look no further than his bone-crunching hit on replacement back Rikiya Matsuda in the 49th minute. Defence is all about attitude, and De Allende brought that fire to the Springbok backline.

On attack, he was too much to handle for opposite number Ryoto Nakamura, who at 1.78m and 84kg, was brave but bulldozed nonetheless. De Allende outmuscled most of the home team’s tacklers at the gainline, to be fair, beating three defenders and making two line breaks.

His 26 metres don’t seem like much on the surface but was the fourth-most yardage by a South African ball-carrier, and he appeared unlucky to have a try disallowed just before half-time with referee Wayne Barnes ruling that he hadn’t released the ball in the tackle before getting up again. He’s been one of the Springboks’ top and most consistent players at the global showpiece and this was performance was the best of the bunch.

Makazole Mapimpi also continued his rich form and is now the joint top try-scorer of the tournament, along with Japan’s Kotaro Matsushima and Wales’ Josh Adams, with five five-pointers after his double strike. Both underlined what a world-class finisher the Sharks flyer is, the first being particularly impressive, as he beat flyhalf Yu Tamura one on one and bumped off fullback Ryohei Yamanaka to give the Springboks the perfect start.

He looked just as fresh when he scored his second in the 70th minute as he did when he first crossed the whitewash in the third, and come the final whistle, he had racked up an unrivalled 116 metres, beat five defenders and made three line breaks. For a man who would probably have missed out on a place in the 31-man squad, had Aphiwe Dyantyi not have been injured and later flagged for failing a drug test, Mapimpi is more than making the most of his opportunity.

Here’s the magic moment from Mapimpi pic.twitter.com/RGdA4q3co6

— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) October 20, 2019

Faf de Klerk was the official Man of the Match and the scrumhalf’s game is certainly on an upward curve. After a poor performance against the All Blacks, he was much better against the Azzurri and upped his game again at Tokyo Stadium.

His tenacity and timing on defence was top-class and saw him make crucial spot tackles and snatch an intercept in the 11th minute. He was rewarded for what can best be described as an energetic effort with a try in the 65th minute. The blonde-haired No.9 aired a number of box kick yet again, but generally, his kicking from the base was better than in his aforementioned appearances.

The pack were once again what powered the Springboks to victory. Everyone had their moments, the props dominating at scrum time, the locks ruling the lineouts and the loose forwards grafting hard. Cliché but apt, captain Siya Kolisi led by example, putting his body on the line on either side of the gainline battle.

The tip of the Springbok spear, he punched holes in Japanese ball-carriers, the openside flanker making 11 tackles and ripping the ball free, which led to Mapimpi’s second try. He played a punishing and less eye-catching role at ruck time, as well, where he stormed in like a ram to slow the Brave Blossoms’ ball down. Clearly mentally and physically strong after his injury, this was as good as Kolisi has looked all year.

Since the Springboks landed in the Land of the Rising Sun, De Jager has unseated Franco Mostert at No.5 and he showed why with another exceptional effort. Not just a lineout master, where he was safe as houses on South Africa’s throw and snatched one on Japan’s throw in the 10th minute, he was also the conductor of the driving maul.

Most impressive, once again, was his freakish workrate across the park, with De Jager making a match-high 15 tackles – without slipping one – in his all-action 66-minute performance.

Bongi Mbonambi deserves a special mention for his strong defensive display, making eight hard hits and winning a turnover in the Springboks’ half before limping off after 36 minutes, and his replacement Malcolm Marx had a strong showing as well.

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Quintin van Jaarsveld

Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.