Rugby World Cup 2023 – South Africa – Ireland – Damian De Allende – Bundee Aki, imminent impact

Sensitive souls refrain. The duel that will take place on Saturday evening between the two colossi, Damian de Allende and Bundee Aki, promises to be… bloody. Both evolving in the pure register of the first powerful centers and capable of mobilizing several players in the center of the field to make fixation points, their explanation promises to be muscular. At six feet tall and weighing 105 kg, De Allende is the control tower of the South African attack. In 2019, he played a major role in winning the world title since he played all seven matches with the Boks, from the opening match against the All Blacks until the final where, with his teammates, he had rolled over an England who were thought to be all-powerful after their show of strength in the half against New Zealand.

Aki looks more like a wrecking ball. More built (he measures 1.78m) but just as heavy (105kg) the Connacht center wreaks havoc on the advantage line. In this 2023 World Cup, he already has seven crossings and 18 defenders beaten. So certainly, the last opponents of the Irish were not of the caliber of the world’s leading nation, but Aki shows that he is still indisputable as the first center, even at the age of 33.

De Allende: “He has always been one of the best number 12s in the world”

De Allende is not much younger (31 years old). And the two men, who respectively have 76 caps with the Boks and 49 with Ireland, have crossed paths more than once on the international circuit. Their “meetings” have even become more frequent in recent years, since De Allende joined Ireland and the ranks of Munster: “I played against him a few times with Munster but he wasn’t in last year’s game we played at the Aviva Stadium. He’s a fantastic player, he’s always been one of the top numbers 12 in the world. I watched his last two matches and he seems in very good form. I also know that he will honor his fiftieth selection tomorrow and that he will want to rise to the occasion. I will do the same and I’m sure we won’t disappoint each other…” And neither do we…