Damian de Allende: 'I am just glad I got to play rugby again'

The South Africa selection will reunite 11 of the starting XV which helped South Africa win the World Cup final in 2019

Damian de Allende: 'I am just grateful it didn’t end up being any worse'. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Damian de Allende will start Saturday’s first Test against the British & Irish Lions feeling lucky simply to be playing rugby following the firepit accident in Limerick that shook him to the core.

The Springboks centre was named yesterday in Jacques Nienaber’s side to face the Lions in his home town of Cape Town, a selection which will reunite 11 of the starting XV which helped South Africa win the World Cup final in 2019 in a matchday 23 that also features two more starters and 21 players in total who contributed to the team’s successful campaign 20 months ago. 

It could have been much different for de Allende, 29, following the incident, when a petrol can caught fire and left four Munster players attending a barbecue needing treatment for burns, including fellow Springbok RG Snyman, who has not yet been cleared to return to action as he is also recovering from knee surgery.

The centre considers himself fortunate not to have been more seriously injured.

“I didn’t think I would chat too much about what happened,” de Allende said yesterday in Cape Town. “I am just grateful it didn’t end up being any worse.

“Thinking of a guy like RG, I think he got the worst of it. I got lucky and I am just glad I got to play rugby again.”

He recalled: “I did go into a bit of shock. I was in hospital on morphine and it was tough. When it wore off, the pain started to kick in and it struck me how bad it was and how much worse it could have been and how lucky I had been.”

De Allende made his comeback from the burns injuries in the South Africa A side that beat the Lions last Wednesday in Cape Town, his first action since playing 80 minutes for Munster in the Rainbow Cup against Cardiff Blues on May 28, and also started Saturday’s A game defeat to the Bulls.

“Everyone that played, Saturday’s game was quite tough emotionally afterwards; it was a good lesson for us, not just losing that game but putting our body and our minds through two physical battles in one week. I’m just glad there are no bad injuries and we all got through it nicely. The bodies are feeling a lot better now this week.

The Munster centre believes his experience in Ireland can be a benefit to the Springboks as they go into this Test series.

“There are a lot of different competitions in Europe and I know a lot of the guys now playing in the British & Irish Lions and it has been good for me to go against them and see what the rugby is like in Europe. I have loved it, obviously the weather is very different and that was one thing to get used to. Other than that, I love Munster, I love Limerick, and it is a great club.

“I have learned a lot and I have tried to explain to the guys what they try and do is a bit different compared to what we try and do in South Africa. It doesn’t mean we will change the way we want to try and play rugby, we will still stick to our structures and stick to our strengths.”