Damian de Allende’s 100th Test to end in Boks by 10

Damian de Allende’s 100th Test should finish as so many of his previous 99 have: with the Springboks going forward and the opposition going backwards.

Boks by 10

De Allende will become a Test centurion against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, and Zelim Nel and I agreed on the Keo & Zels Show that the milestone is built on qualities too often undervalued by the South African rugby public.

Durability. Consistency. Physical authority. Skill.

For years De Allende was criticised as an inside centre who did not pass. The truth was the opposite. He was among the best passers in the Bok backline, with one of the quickest releases in the squad.

Springboks assistant coach (and former All Blacks flyhalf) Tony Brown merely confirmed what should already have been obvious.

De Allende’s primary responsibility at No 12 has always been to create momentum. He sets the target, wins the collision and gets South Africa across the gainline. When the pressure is at its greatest, he delivers.

Think of his try against Wales in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, with the score locked at 9-all. Think of the power, acceleration and offload that released Cheslin Kolbe against England at Twickenham in 2024.

Those are not incidental moments. They define De Allende.

His value will again be central against an All Blacks side selected to play with tempo, stretch the Boks across the width of Ellis Park and challenge them physically and in the air. The visitors have quality from No 1 to No 15, and their recent Ellis Park record demands respect: three wins in their past five Tests at the ground.

This will not be comfortable. It will be a fight.

The All Blacks will look to move the Bok pack, keep the ball alive and use their attacking skill on the edges. South Africa will look to squeeze them through the scrum, dominate the collisions and make every carry increasingly expensive.

De Allende will be the bridge between those two battles. His ability to give the Boks guaranteed gainline will settle the attack and allow Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to play with greater freedom.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s selection at flyhalf is brave and necessary. He brings uncertainty, imagination and the ability to turn a tight contest in one movement. There may be rust in combinations, but the Boks have trained for this challenge and possess the stronger answer when the game fractures late on.

The opening hour should be close. Neither starting XV has a decisive advantage, and both teams have enough class to punish mistakes. The separation comes from the bench.

South Africa’s six-two split carries more power than the All Blacks’ five-three selection. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese and the hybrid presence of André Esterhuizen give Rassie Erasmus a second-half assault that New Zealand cannot match player for player.

Tests between these teams are invariably decided late. This one will be no different.

Zels has the Boks winning 29-25. I have them winning 36-26.

De Allende will provide the direction and the Boks bench will provide the destruction.

Boks by 10 … ALWAYS