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Damian de Allende
Brendan Moran / Getty Images
- Springbok center, World Cup winner Damian de Allende is confident Munster can upset the apple cart and win the PRO14.
- Munster will face undefeated defending champion Leinster in the semi-finals in Dublin on Friday.
- De Allende has described the clash between the two Irish giants as similar to a north-south derby between the Bulls and the Stormers.
Springbok Center Damian de Allende trust your Irish club Munster can win the PRO14 title.
Munster will be the underdog when he meets undefeated Leinster in the semi-finals in Dublin on Friday night.
Leinster, the defending PRO14 champion, has won all 15 games this season and also beat Munster 27-25 a fortnight ago.
However, De Allende is confident that Munster can upset the apple cart and has been impressed by what he has experienced with the South African coach. Johann van graan.
“For me personally, no matter where I play, I always strive to win tournaments and championships. I signed for Munster because I feel that they have the credentials, the coaching staff and the heart,” said the World Cup winner through a PRO14 press release.
“From what I’ve seen on TV, and obviously I’ve only played two games here, but I feel like they have that team atmosphere that they really want to achieve, where you can go to another squad and you will have all the names and stars, but they are not working for that success.
“I feel like in these two games there is a real desire and desire to win the semifinals and finals, and not just once or twice, but consistently. And not just in PRO14, but also in the Champions Cup. Friday La The night is going to be a very tough match, but hopefully we can jump in.
“We know it’s just a mental thing. We haven’t played a lot of rugby in the last six months so there will be some pains in the body. I think if we have the right mindset and we go in knowing we have a chance, and don’t worry about nothing more, just stay in that moment for 80 minutes and hopefully we can leave with a big smile on our faces on Friday night. “
‘Like a north-south derby’
De Allende feels at home in the tribal clash between the two sides and says it reminds him of the north-south derbies between the Bulls and the Stormers in South Africa.
“I think it’s quite personal, for me it’s quite similar to when I played for the Stormers against the Bulls. It’s like a north-south derby, it’s personal and physical,” he said.
“It gets pretty intense on the pitch, even though they have a lot of respect for each other. I’m not Irish, but those Irish guys are competing for places to play for Ireland, but there’s still that mutual respect between them.” On and off the field.
“I probably need to play a few more, but I certainly understand the way they see it and it’s very encouraging to help them beat Leinster as well.”
Leinster will start as the favorites, but Munster hopes to get lucky for the third time, the third time they will face their rivals in PRO14 playoff games in as many years.
And De Allende is eager to get out.
Their showdown against Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose: The starting Irish centers will be watched closely, especially after the Leinster pair edged out Munster in the last clash.
“They are both world class centers, they have both been very good internationally. Leinster was very good and they also put good kicks behind us. We know we can’t put too many in the break, sometimes they are compromising too many guys, especially. on our defensive line.
“If we engage too many guys and we are short on defense, they will exploit us very easily. They did that in that first game. We have to be aware of that, they are also very physical and very fast and we will have to. Be on fire.”
While the first game physically took its toll after a long break, De Allende believes the team needed their 49-12 win over Connacht last week to give them confidence.
“I’d say pretty decent. Obviously that first game against Leinster was pretty tough on the body, I’d been out for a long time and hadn’t played. And facing Leinster, a world-class team, the number one or two teams in the world. at the moment at the club level it is quite a challenge.
“It’s a good test for us as a team in the future. We had quite a few new guys coming in as well and I think we held up well. Last week was much better in terms of results, but it was also very good for the semi-finals.
“Connacht was very physical. There was a lot of energy and I felt like we needed almost a tough game like that before the semi-final, before Friday night.”
– Compiled by Sport24 staff
