Damian de Allende has played midfield alongside some of the great generals of world rugby, but he says standing next to Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is like playing off a flyhalf who scribbles his own playbook in mid-match.
“It’s incredible. I don’t even think Sacha knows what happens next sometimes, which is also a good thing,” the 33-year-old Bok centre said with a grin, as South Africa prepare for Saturday’s Rugby Championship decider against Argentina at Twickenham.
De Allende, a veteran of two World Cup triumphs, has learned to read the rhythm of flyhalves like Pollard and Jantjies.
Yet he insists Feinberg-Mngomezulu is a different kind of conductor one, who doesn’t just follow the script, but invents new lines on the run.
“I do try to help him on the field, I chat to him, let him know where the space is, but sometimes you can see that he sees the space before anyone else does,” he explained.
“I think it’s important for not just me, but all the guys around him, not to take his time and space away. He can create a lot by himself – we just need to make sure that we’re there to support him.”
The young pivot was electric in last weekend’s 67-30 rout of Los Pumas in Durban, carving through the line like a winger in full flight. But De Allende was quick to credit the collective effort.
“It was incredible to watch him on Saturday, but as a team we know we’ve got to get ourselves in the best possible position to make each other look better.”
Saturday at Twickenham is more than a final whistle on the Rugby Championship — it’s a chance for the Springboks to claim their first-ever back-to-back crown.
And while the English fortress has its own ghosts for South Africa, De Allende insists the ground offers no edge either way.
“It’s a neutral ground and we have played here quite a lot, but so have they [Argentina] against England,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s an advantage for us or an advantage for them. I think 60-thousand tickets have already been sold so the atmosphere is going to be incredible and we’re all looking forward to that.”
For De Allende, the stage is set. The Boks will bring muscle and structure, but the wild card remains the man at flyhalf, a youngster who runs like a breakaway flanker, thinks like a scrumhalf, and dares to play the game at a pace even his teammates are still learning to chase.
