Victor Matfield Backs Damian de Allende as World's Best Centre Ahead of All Blacks Series
- Springboks legend Victor Matfield named Damian de Allende the best centre in the world, ahead of All Blacks star Jordie Barrett
- De Allende is set to enter the Greatest Rivalry Series one cap short of 100, and two starts away from breaking a Springboks record
- All Blacks great Sir John Kirwan immediately disagreed with Matfield and offered to place a bet on Barrett outperforming De Allende
- Briefly News spoke exclusively to a rugby analyst on the debate
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Springboks legend Victor Matfield has declared Damian de Allende the best inside centre in world rugby, dismissing the widespread view that All Blacks star Jordie Barrett holds that title ahead of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Series.
Matfield made the claim on the Rugby Rivals podcast, where he identified De Allende and number eight Jasper Wiese as two players who would prove decisive during the upcoming series between the Springboks and New Zealand.
De Allende closing in on history
The 34-year-old centre arrives at the series carrying 99 Test caps after being rested for the Springboks' fixture against Argentina in Buenos Aires. Beyond the milestone of a century of caps, De Allende is also within two starts of surpassing Jean de Villiers' record for the most starts at centre for South Africa in Test rugby, a tally currently sitting at 92.
De Allende has been a fixture in the Springboks' midfield across multiple coaching regimes, serving under Heyneke Meyer and Allister Coetzee before becoming a central figure in Rassie Erasmus' back-to-back World Cup-winning setup.
Matfield and Kirwan clash over best centre
On the podcast, Matfield praised De Allende’s influence beyond his individual performances, highlighting his importance in shaping the Springboks’ attacking structure alongside flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
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The former Springboks captain said that while many people considered Jordie Barrett the world’s best inside centre, he believed De Allende had held that distinction for a long time and expected the upcoming tour to prove his point.
Sir John Kirwan disagreed with Matfield’s assessment and backed Barrett to emerge as the better centre during the series. The former All Blacks winger even suggested a friendly wager, insisting he believed Barrett would finish the rivalry as the standout number 12.
Kirwan also identified scrum-half Cam Roigard and veteran playmaker Beauden Barrett as key players for New Zealand under coach Dave Rennie. He added that Roigard had developed into an X-factor player over the past two years and was eager to see how Beauden Barrett would perform against the Stormers before the Test matches began.
Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, rugby analyst Thabang Mokoena said Victor Matfield's assessment of Damian de Allende was understandable, but argued that comparing the Springbok veteran with Jordie Barrett was less straightforward than simply deciding who was the better individual player.
Mokoena said De Allende's value to South Africa had always extended beyond his ability to break the gain line.
"De Allende's biggest strength is that he makes the players around him better. He gives the Springboks a direct option in midfield, he carries hard, he is strong defensively, and he creates space for the players outside him. That consistency is a huge part of his value."
The analyst believes De Allende's understanding of the Springboks' system could give him an advantage when the two centres go head-to-head during the Greatest Rivalry Series.
Rassie Erasmus shuts down All Blacks questions
Briefly News previously reported that Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus redirected Tuesday's pre-match press conference after journalists repeatedly steered questions toward the upcoming All Blacks series rather than Saturday's Rugby Championship clash against Argentina.
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Source: Briefly News
