‘Learned a lot from him’: De Allende on All Black rival who 'stands out'

South Africa centre Damian de Allende has singled out Jordie Barrett as the current rival who “really does stand out” to him after going head-to-head with the All Blacks star during Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

The 101-cap Springbok has faced some of the finest centres of the modern era during his international career, highlighting battles with Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Sonny Bill Williams, as well as compatriots Frans Steyn, Andre Esterhuizen and Jan Serfontein.

But De Allende reserved special praise for Barrett when speaking ahead of the fourth Test of the series this week, describing the 29-year-old’s skill set as “incredible” and saying he has the ability to do everything on the field.

The pair have lined up opposite one another during the opening three Tests of the series, and De Allende admitted he has used those encounters as an opportunity to study the New Zealand midfielder and add to his own game.

With the All Blacks still to name their side for the fourth and final Test, De Allende does not yet know whether another meeting awaits this weekend, but described the opportunity to play against Barrett over the past three weeks as a “real pleasure”.

Fixture

Internationals

South Africa

14:00

12 Sep 26

New Zealand

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“I’ve been lucky to play a lot of rugby and play against a lot of fantastic centres. At the start of my career I got to play against Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith and Sonny Bill Williams, and also South African players Frans Steyn and Andre Esterhuizen and Jan Serfontein.

“But at the moment, the one guy that really does stand out for me is Jordie Barrett. I think his skill set is incredible. He’s got the ability to do everything on the field at the moment, and to play against him these past three weeks – and obviously don’t know what their team is like this weekend – it’s been a real pleasure.

“I’ve always liked to learn a lot on the field, especially playing against my opposition, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot from Jordie Barrett on the field. It’s been incredible to play against him.”