With De Allende set to become the 10th Springbok to reach 100 Test caps against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, Erasmus has shared what convinced him the midfielder had genuine Test-level quality. It wasn't physicality per se — it was watching De Allende go toe-to-toe with Sonny Bill Williams and refuse to be dominated. Erasmus is quick to reframe the common perception of De Allende as a 'battering ram', arguing his real value lies in his game understanding, his passing, and his consistent availability. Willemse adds texture to the tribute, highlighting De Allende's quiet leadership — a player who steps up in the biggest moments and never once claims the credit.
AnalysisSpringboksPlanet Rugby
Rassie reveals the moment De Allende proved his Test worth — and it involved Sonny Bill
Ahead of De Allende's 100th cap against the All Blacks, Erasmus pinpoints the Sonny Bill Williams battles as the moment he knew — and pushes back on the idea that physicality is De Allende's defining quality.
- Damian de Allende
- Springboks
- New Zealand
- Rassie Erasmus
- Jesse Kriel
Related stories
All Blacks' loosehead crisis hands Springboks a ready-made weapon in Greatest Rivalry Series
Jeff Wilson has publicly identified loosehead prop as the All Blacks' most dangerous weakness ahead of four consecutive Tests against the Springboks — with Williams likely out, Tu'ungafasi's future uncertain, and the remaining options short on caps and experience. Set against the depth Erasmus has built across the prop positions, this piece maps out why scrum time could be where the Greatest Rivalry Series is decided.
Stephen Donald: Robertson copied the Boks — Rennie must go back to All Blacks DNA
Stephen Donald backs Hansen's anti-copycat argument, saying Robertson erred by chasing the Springbok blueprint rather than New Zealand's tempo-based strengths — and expects Rennie to correct that course ahead of a blockbuster four-Test series in South Africa.
Mulder's '95 Warning: Don't Sleep on the All Blacks
1995 World Cup winner Japie Mulder warns against writing off the All Blacks ahead of the four-Test series, drawing on South Africa's own underdog story to argue the gap in rankings doesn't guarantee a comfortable series win.
Boks remain top but All Blacks close gap to 2.90 points after Nations Championship opener
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
Lekker! Hola! Head to https://squarespace.com/squidgerugby to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code SQUIDGERUGBY