As De Allende prepares to become the 10th Springbok centurion against the All Blacks, Erasmus pushes back on the conventional read of his value. The public narrative has always been about physicality and gainline dominance, but Erasmus argues the more important quality is De Allende's game understanding — knowing when to get involved, when to pass, and how to read a match as it unfolds. That intelligence, Erasmus says, is what has made him consistently selectable across 12 years and multiple Bok systems. The piece also traces Erasmus's first real impression of De Allende — watching him handle Sonny Bill Williams in Super Rugby — as the moment he recognised something beyond raw physicality. Willemse adds the durability angle: De Allende's availability record is reportedly near-flawless, and his quiet vice-captaincy role has been more extensive than most supporters realise.