Latest news with #DamiandeAllende
The South African
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Springboks: One more injury worry!
The Springboks picked up an expected win over Italy at Loftus, but Rassie Erasmus has already said he will reconsider his selections for the second Test because of the unconvincing performance, and to handle the challenge posed by a young and hungry Azzurri. 'Internally we've announced that 13, 14 players that will definitely get a run next week, and that we'd build the bench or starting line-up around those guys,' he said. 'We won't discard those guys but some of them might move to the bench, some of the real standout players who played today might start again.' As Erasmus reconsiders his selections, there is also an injury to Damian de Allende that will need to be factored in after he strained his hamstring, with the full severity of the injury still to be determined. 'We have to pick nine guys to go with the others and we have to decide whether they start or come off the bench. Damian De Allende has a bit of a hamstring but luckily, we don't have any (major) injuries, just a few bruised egos.' Damian de Allende (hamstring): The latest player to be added to the Springboks' injury list, it remains to be seen what scans may reveal about the severity of this. Pieter-Steph du Toit (shoulder): Du Toit has made a good recovery and should be ready for the second Test against Italy, or the one-off clash against Georgia. Cameron Hanekom (hamstring): The talented loose forward has undergone surgery, and is only likely to be available at the back-end of the Rugby Championship, or for the end-of-year tour. Juarno Augustus (back): The powerful loose forward, who is set to join Ulster next season, has been unable to join up with the Springboks as expected due to an unfortunate injury issue that will also see him miss the July Tests. Gerhard Steenekamp (knee): The 28-year-old hasn't featured since early March when he suffered a knee injury that led to some unfortunate complications following a minor procedure. It's hoped that he will be ready for the Rugby Championship. Ntuthuko Mchunu (knee): Another prop who will be out for some time, with the Springboks only expected to be able to consider calling on his services at some point during the Rugby Championship. Frans Malherbe (back): He is set to be rested for the July internationals, but the big prop should hopefully be available at some point in the Rugby Championship. Lukhanyo Am (knee): There will be some concern over the fact that the outside centre has been released as a result of a troublesome knee injury, and although his recovery timeline has not been specified, it's expected that he will only come back into contention for the Rugby Championship. Elrigh Louw (leg): He has unfortunately been ruled out for the entire 2025 season. Ben-Jason Dixon (wrist): The loose forward will miss the July internationals, but could be back in contention during the Rugby Championship. Deon Fourie (ankle): The veteran utility forward should be back in training before the Rugby Championship. Trevor Nyakane (ruptured Achilles tendon): The Springbok stalwart is only likely to be back towards the end of 2025. HOW MANY GAMES DO YOU THINK THE TEAM WILL WIN THIS YEAR? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Springboks open Test season against Italy: Stats, facts and figures
The current world champions have enjoyed a dominant time against the Italians since their first meeting in 1995. The Springbok players chat during their captain's run at Artemio Franchi on November 18, 2016 in Florence, Italy, prior to their Test match against Italy the following day. Picture:The Springboks get their Test year under way with the first of two Tests against Italy at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, with kick-off at 5.10pm. Rassie Erasmus' team are the big favourites to win the match, having dominated against the Italians over the years. Here are some of the key statistics, facts and figures you might not know about the teams and clashes between them. History The Boks and Italy have met 16 times, with the South Africans enjoying a 15-1 record against the Italians. The first meeting between the teams took place on 12 November 1995 in Rome, when the Boks, then also newly crowned world champions, won 40-21. The Boks have scored 764 points in total in these 16 meetings, while Italy have scored 195. The Boks have scored 102 tries to Italy's 16. The biggest winning score is 101-0 to the Boks, recorded in Durban in June 1999. Italy's only triumph The Italians have beaten the current world champions only once, in Florence on 19 November 2016. On that day Italy won 20-18 to shock the rugby world. The Boks' tries were scored by Bryan Habana, in his 124th Test, and Damian de Allende, with Pat Lambie kicking a conversion and a penalty, while Elton Jantjies also slotted a penalty. Coach Allister Coetzee's Bok team on the day included Willie le Roux at fullback, Damian de Allende at inside centre, Rudy Paige at scrumhalf, Warren Whiteley at eighthman, Lood de Jager at No 5 lock, Pieter-Steph du Toit at number 4 lock, Vincent Koch at tighthead and Adriaan Strauss at hooker, and the captain. Matches in South Africa The Boks have played Italy seven times in South Africa, but this will be the first Test between the sides at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where the hosts have a 78% win record overall (32 wins from 41 Tests). In those seven matches the Boks have registered a number of big wins. Besides the 101-0 in Durban in 1999, the Boks won 74-3 in Port Elizabeth, the week before the Durban massacre in 1999, 60-14 in Port Elizabeth in 2001, 26-0 in Cape Town in 2008, 29-13 in Witbank in 2010, 55-11 in East London in 2010, and 44-10 in Durban in 2013. Milestones The Boks will have 732 Test caps in total in the starting team on Saturday, with a further 466 on the bench. Vincent Tshituka, of the Sharks and formerly the Lions, will make his debut in the No 7 jersey. Fullback Damian Willemse will play his first Test since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in Paris, after sitting out all of last season with an injury. His back-up on the bench, Willie le Roux, should he enter the action, will earn his 99th Test cap. Jesse Kriel will become the Boks' 67th Test captain, while Eben Etzebeth will extend his record number of Test caps to 132 on Saturday..
IOL News
19-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Springbok star Damian de Allende playing with more freedom, eyes Stormers return
Springbok centre Damian de Allende is close to reaching 100 caps. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix Damian de Allende has this strong urge to end his illustrious career under Table Mountain for the Stormers. With his contract in Japan set to run until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, the Springbok inside centre pinned his hopes on staying fresh and healthy to have his international swansong at the tournament Down Under. If everything goes according to plan and he can help the Boks to a third title in a row, he will look to move back home to have one last hurrah in the blue-and-white hoops of the Cape side. 'A third World Cup win would be great to finish off a long career,' De Allende said this week during the Bok camp in Johannesburg. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'I have about two seasons left in Japan and I really enjoy it there. 'My body still feels very good, and I will see how it is after the next two years. 'Ideally, I would like to complete my rugby career in South Africa, and I would only like to finish in Cape Town. 'So, if the chance does come, and I can play a season or two there for the Stormers and WP, I would love to. 'But we will see when the time comes. I don't see myself finishing my career anywhere else but Cape Town.' For now, De Allende has his sights set on maintaining his current form to keep his World Cup dream alive. He's been South Africa's in-form No 12 since Erasmus took over in 2018, and has been a mainstay in the Bok midfield. 🔥40 000 and counting! 🔥 Cape Town is turning green and gold for the @Barbarian_FC vs #Springboks blockbuster 🏉 Don't miss out - get your hands on tickets from just R950, in celebration of the 1995 RWC final 🎟 Get yours now via @Ticketmaster: — Springboks (@Springboks) June 19, 2025 Although some promising inside centres are making their mark in the United Rugby Championship, and Sharks strong man André Esterhuizen has been blowing in his neck for that jersey, the 33-year-old double World Cup winner is primed not to take his foot off the accelerator just because he is reaching the latter stage of his career. 'For me, it is just the enjoyment of rugby, especially playing in Japan,' the former UCT midfielder from Milnerton said. 'The game is a lot faster there than the other leagues I've played in in the past. 'I know sometimes when you've achieved so much in rugby, you could lose motivation. But reaching those goals has inspired me to get better. 'I am trying to enjoy my rugby more, and to play with more freedom and a lot less pressure. 'It feels like the older I get, the less pressure there is on me, and I put less on myself. 'You start learning about yourself a lot more at this age.' What a sight 🥹 Who else is excited to see the Bomb Squad in action this year?#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold — Springboks (@Springboks) June 18, 2025 De Allende is looking forward to the new season, especially working more closely with attack coach Tony Brown. He says Brown's input in his first season has been invaluable not just to the players, but South African rugby. The hope is that the Boks can evolve even further under the New Zealander. 'It was massively important to get someone like Tony Brown in to test our skills and to teach us new ones, and how and when to move the ball, especially before contact,' he said. 'Rugby is changing, the rules are changing. You can see in some competitions the refs do not want to give scrum penalties. 'It's been incredible under him for us older guys over the last season, and seeing the skills development of the forwards has been incredible. 'We will go from strength to strength this season, and by next year and the World Cup, it will be exciting for SA rugby.' #ForeverGreenForeverGold ♬ Boy - ODESZA @ We're as excited as Lood de Jager to see Malcolm Marx come around the corner... in green & gold 😍 Head over to Ticketmaster to buy your tickets for the Springboks vs Barbarians at DHL Stadium 🎟️ #Springboks Reaching 100 Bok Test caps will be 'flippin special' according to the inside centre, and it is something he has thought about. He is currently on 87 Tests, and could reach that milestone over the next two seasons. But he will be content if he doesn't reach it, knowing that he's had a long, healthy and enjoyable career in the Springbok jersey. 'I will really cherish and enjoy it if it does happen. If it doesn't, it's not the end of the world,' the No 12 said. 'I will at least know that I left it all out there and gave it my best chance. 'I want to put both hands up, and train hard week in and week out to ensure the team is better.'
The Citizen
19-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Damian de Allende would love to end his career at the Stormers
'I don't see myself playing anywhere else,' the Springbok centre said after admitting he thought about returning to South Africa 'a lot'. Springbok centre Damian de Allende said he has been thinking about ending his career in South Africa 'a lot'. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images Springbok centre Damian de Allende said he would love to finish his rugby career in his favourite city in the world, Cape Town, while playing for his former union, the Stormers. The 87 Test-capped double World Cup winner has played the last three seasons at Japan's Wild Knights, and is set to complete two more there ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. De Allende, now 33, told media on Wednesday that his body 'still feels very good' but his latter years have given him an appreciation for the sport he didn't have before. So he thinks about ending his career in South Africa 'a lot'. 'I don't see myself playing anywhere else' 'My contract finishes in 2027. I really enjoy it there but my body still feels very good at the moment,' De Allende said. 'Obviously, we will see how my body is next year and the year after, how I am mentally and if I can keep up with rugby moving forward. But ideally, I would love to finish in South Africa, and I'd want to finish in Cape Town. 'If the chance does come for me to finish in Cape Town, I can play a season or two in Cape Town in South Africa, for the Stormers and Western Province, I would love to. But we will see when the time comes when it gets closer to the end of my contract. But I don't see myself playing anywhere else besides coming back to Cape Town.' The Stormers could use a player of De Allende's calibre. After their United Rugby Championship quarter-final exit, they said farewell to a host of players: Springbok flyhalf Manie Libbok (Japan sabbatical), Herschel Jantjies (joining Bayonne), Paul de Wet (Bulls), Joseph Dweba (Exeter Chiefs), Ben Loader (Gloucester) and Dave Ewers (retirement). That followed a season that saw Springbok legend Steven Kitshoff retire while Deon Fourie's future was also questioned after the 38-year-old's season was cut short due to injury. De Allende still loving rugby, still improving his game When asked what keeps him motivated, De Allende said a third World Cup would do well to round off his career. 'For me it's just enjoyment of the rugby. Especially playing in Japan, the game is a lot faster there compared to what I played in the past in other leagues.' He said the tempo of the game in Japan helped him develop his own skillsets, even at his age. 'That's the most important thing. If I was going backwards at this age then I'd have to look at myself in the mirror and be honest with myself. But I am still enjoying myself and feel like I'm improving every day.' He said it would be 'flipping special' to reach 100 Test caps in the next year or two but the memories he has made – many with his teammates – over a long and enjoyable career will stick with him more than the milestone would.
The Guardian
15-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Rugby World Cups aren't adding up for major unions and there is no easy fix
The starting gun has been fired on the race to host the 2035 and 2039 Rugby World Cup tournaments. Expressions of interest have been made: Spain's proposal has piqued interest, Italy's too, while the Middle East stalks along as the elephant in the room. The idea of going back to Japan within 20 years of a first World Cup in Asia is a popular proposition. News came over the weekend, however, that South Africa has all but ruled out a bid for either edition of the tournament. South Africa threw its hat into the ring in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 but was overlooked on each occasion and the SA Rugby president, Mark Alexander, was brutally honest when asked about the prospect of doing so again. 'It just brings so many other challenges to the country,' he said. 'People think it is just a sports event but so many other things have to be activated. I will tell [SA Rugby] not to do this. We are a third-world country. Our economy is not strong and we have to act responsibly. I know sport does a lot for social cohesion but I think it would be unfair on [the] government to put up guarantees.' It is a desperate shame that the winners of the past two World Cups do not consider it financially viable to bid and the 2023 bidding process looks all the more ham-fisted now. To recap, World Rugby introduced a process whereby a technical review of the candidates would lead to recommendation by the governing body's board. South Africa emerged as the recommended bidder but World Rugby's council ignored the recommendation and in an anonymous vote, opted for France, whose bid was based on a promise to prevent 'the death of rugby' with its financial clout. Reflecting on the decision during South Africa's autumn tour, the centre Damian de Allende said: 'It's heartbreaking, it was in our hands and it got taken away from us. I know we won the World Cup last year but it would have been a lot more special to have hosted it and won it. I get a bit sad speaking about it because I don't know when we will host another World Cup.' Is there any other sport in which three highest-ranked nations may feasibly never host a future World Cup? South Africa and New Zealand have won the last five World Cups between them and contested the most recent final. But at this stage it is also hard to see the tournament returning to New Zealand. The union's chief executive, Mark Robinson, admitted as much in 2022, saying it would be 'really challenging'. He rowed back on those comments a year later but with the 2027 World Cup expanding to 24 teams, New Zealand doesn't have the infrastructure to mount a realistic bid. In Ireland's case, they were the third horse in the race for the 2023 tournament but came up short, crucially failing to gain the backing of Scotland – a neighbourly snub that still rankles. As revealed by the Guardian, a united home nations bid for the 2031 World Cup was proposed but soon shelved because, it is said, agreement on where to stage the final could not be reached. Instead, in six years, the World Cup breaks new ground in the US. Australia – with its wealth of impressive stadiums – hosts the next edition but it is 2031 occupying minds at World Rugby at present. Executives wanted the British & Irish Lions to play in Las Vegas on the way to Australia this summer and may be heartened by the suggestion they could stop off in Sin City in 2029, on the way to New Zealand. England's fixture in Washington, in July, and another clash between the All Blacks and Ireland in Chicago later this year is further evidence of spreading the gospel. Because World Rugby is under pressure to deliver. The 2023 World Cup proved costly for France – an expected net loss of €13m (£11.1m), according to a damning report over mismanagement released earlier this month by the French court of audit – but for World Rugby it generated record-breaking revenues of €500m (£429m). Still, when the Irish union released its accounts last November, reporting an €18.4m (£15.8m) deficit, the chief executive, Kevin Potts, was strident in his view that the cost of competing in a World Cup, exacerbated by losing autumn internationals revenue, is a problem. 'It [the World Cup] is a value transfer from the unions to the tournament,' he said. 'We get some funding over the following years out of World Rugby but it doesn't match what it costs us. It's also being used to develop the game globally. It's not working and World Rugby are aware that we and other unions are challenged by this and we need to look, is there a better way? We certainly can't continue to have World Cups every four years that are having such a major impact in that year on our finances.' That view was echoed by the Rugby Football Union chief executive, Bill Sweeney, after record losses were announced at a similar time. 'We're right in the middle of this conversation,' Sweeney told the Business of Sport podcast. 'We feel that in many ways you could say that the losses we make in that fourth year are subsidising the investment by World Rugby into the growth of the emerging nations because the revenue shift for us is about £45m in that fourth year, we make a big loss in that fourth year. 'It's the same for the other unions as well, so the Six Nations and Sanzaar are saying this doesn't make any sense. The blue riband event where we're generating an awful lot of value, we're getting a very small percentage of the overall profit being generated from that event. I can see it from World Rugby's point of view because they're saying, 'our remit is to grow the game globally', so we've got to invest in emerging markets but at the moment it is creating some real financial hardship and difficulties for the tier one unions.' It is quite the conversation but as Sweeney suggests, how can World Rugby justify cutting funding of the have-nots to give more to the haves? The only viable solution appears to be to ensure World Cups generate more revenue, hence the American gold rush before a likely return to Europe in 2035. The smart money is on Japan in 2039 after 2019 was, at the time, the most lucrative tournament in history. It also brings us back to the elephant in the room. Suffice it to say, World Rugby will pay close attention to the Nations Championship finals in 2028, which are slated for Qatar. But the Middle East could not stage a World Cup in the traditional September-October slot due to heat and domestic leagues would have something to say about moving it to winter. Equally, the Six Nations has been intransigent to moving dates in the past and World Rugby would struggle to countenance a tournament in which the hosts do not take part. At present the Gulf nations are nowhere near competitive enough. All that said, against the backdrop outlined by Potts and Sweeney, the response to the Middle East question by World Rugby's chief executive, Alan Gilpin, makes all the more sense. 'Any region that wants to invest in the game, we're going to take those conversations seriously.' Northampton's Henry Pollock has emerged as the popular candidate to fulfil the role of potential British & Irish Lions bolter – a concept that is anachronistic yet sums up why there is still so much to love about these quadrennial tours. The head coach, Andy Farrell, was not at Franklin's Gardens to watch his performance against Castres last Saturday, however. Instead, after taking in another Leinster demolition job on Friday night, he made his way to Galway for Connacht's Challenge Cup clash against Racing 92. Perhaps he was casting an eye over Bundee Aki, maybe having a look at Mack Hansen. The irresistible narrative is that he was running the rule over his son Owen, scoping out whether the 33-year-old is back to form after a lengthy injury layoff. Or maybe Andy Farrell was at Connacht simply as a father, enjoying the simple pleasure of watching his son in action. Either way, with only three more weekends of fixtures before Farrell names his squad, the intrigue is set to skyrocket. England outlasted Ireland to stay on course for the grand slam in the Women's Six Nations, reports Sarah Rendell. Northampton set up a Champions Cup rematch with Leinster after an emphatic win against Castre, writes Robert Kitson. And Bath's quest for trophies stepped up with a dominant Challenge Cup victory against Gloucester. Daniel Gallan was watching. England will host Scotland at Welford Road on Saturday in the Women's Six Nations – so let's take a trip back to 1999, when the two teams met in the Five Nations, at Richmond RFC. England won 34-7 on their way to the grand slam. To subscribe to the Breakdown, just visit this page and follow the instructions. And sign up for The Recap, the best of our sports writing from the past seven days, delivered to your inbox every Friday at noon BST.a
