Springbok centre Damian de Allende says his team are thankful that they are playing Argentina in London this week in a Rugby Championship final rather than in South America.
The Boks go into Saturday’s tournament finale at 3pm (South Africa time) — with the All Blacks and Wallabies clashing earlier in the day in Perth at 11am — knowing that, whatever happens in the Antipodean showdown, they must win to make certain of their first-ever back-to-back Rugby Championship title.
A Springbok loss to the Pumas would open the door for New Zealand to take the title, should they win in Perth.
“Winning stays the most important thing to us,” De Allende said. “Forget the World Cup in two years being a focus — what is important to us right now is to keep winning, and to be where we want to be when the world rankings are finalised this year.
“We know where we want to be when that draw is made for the next World Cup (at the end of this year), and there will be future conversations about that, but for now the discussion must be about beating Argentina this weekend at Twickenham.
“We can’t look too far ahead. This is a final for us, and we will put 100 per cent focus into that.”
Twickenham’s capacity is 82,000, and a sell-out is likely as expat South Africans continue to buy tickets.
“Already 60,000 tickets have been sold (as of Tuesday), and there is plenty of time until kick-off,” De Allende said. “If we were playing this match in Argentina, it would be tough to beat the jet lag, so that is not a factor, and we have gone back into our usual routine.
“We are playing at a great venue, in London, regardless of what is at stake for us in terms of the Championship title.
“We are familiar with the stadium and have good memories of beating the All Blacks here (in a World Cup warm-up in 2023).”
The 33-year-old De Allende had the best seat in the house last week in Durban when Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu lit up the field in the Boks’ 67-20 win.
“Playing with Sacha is incredible,” De Allende said. “I don’t think Sacha knows what he is going to do next, which is a good thing.
“For me, I try to help and chat to him on the field, and advise him where the space is, but I think sometimes he sees it before anyone else.
“It is important for me, and the other senior guys around him, to let him flourish, and not take his time and space away. He can create a lot by himself, and we must support him when things are not going that well for him.
“It was nice to watch his incredible performance at Kings Park, but in saying that, he took his opportunities because of the work done by the team.
“Sacha knows that, and while there will always be great individual performances, we know as a team that improving as a whole provides chances for individuals.”
