Bok Damian de Allende is the best No 12 in the world

Springboks and Wild Knights Damian de Allende continues to set the standards among No 12s in world rugby. He is the best – and has been for some time.

In the Keo & Zels show earlier this week, there was agreement that De Allende remains the standout No 12 in the game.

Keo: Damian de Allende has done it all. Two World Cups. Rugby Championships. Outstanding for Munster in the URC and Investec Champions Cup. A superstar in Japan. A force for the Stormers and Western Province.

Yet when the “best No 12 in the world” debate starts, his name is often an afterthought.

Ireland’s Stu McCloskey has had a strong Six Nations and suddenly some commentators are calling him the benchmark. That’s recency bias. De Allende has been the benchmark for a decade.

He is the glue in the Springbok midfield. When he plays, they are a different side. When he doesn’t, you feel it. Sonny Bill Williams said last season that the most undervalued piece of the South African World Cup puzzle is Damian de Allende. He’s right.

De Allende has strength in contact, a complete passing game and a rugby IQ that the public underrates but coaches don’t. Tony Brown rates him the best passer in the Bok set-up.

The move to Japan extended his career. League One is improving every season, but it’s not the weekly collision of the URC or Top 14. It has preserved him and I believe he has another World Cup in him.

 If we’re picking a No 12 tomorrow? I take him. Every time. He is the best No 12 in the world.

ALL BLACKS GREATS RAVE ABOUT DE ALLENDE

Zels:
That’s the difference between media noise and player reality.

In player circles, “Doogz” gets huge respect. It’s the same story as Franco Mostert. At the Lions people asked what he actually did. Then he became a Bok and suddenly everyone understood the work rate and detail.

De Allende does the heavy lifting. He wins collisions. He cleans up. He organises. He makes the right decision more often than not. Players and coaches see it immediately.

In his prime? For me, absolutely – he’s the best 12 in world rugby.

RECALL: HOW RASSIE REINVENTED DE ALLENDE IN 2019

Last weekend he played his 50th match for the Wild Knights in Japan – another reminder of his consistency and professionalism. Whether it was Milnerton High in Cape Town, a World Cup final with the Springboks, Munster on a European night, or League One in Japan, the standard never drops.

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