Cape Town - Stormers fans have been waiting for the real Damian de Allende to be released from his cage this season after returning from injury.
Before Saturday’s match against the Kings he just didn’t resemble the player who thrilled the Newlands faithful with his powerful line breaks, explosive bursts through the middle and his great off-loading in the tackle.
All they have seen of him up till then was a guy putting his head down and trying to run through brick walls.But Saturday was different. Suddenly De Allende was straightening the line and passing.
He attacked the outside gap and drew defenders. Suddenly his outside centre, Huw Jones, got space to move and ended up scoring four tries against the hapless Port Elizabeth outfit.
So what was it that triggered that sudden return to form?
It could be that the main beneficiary of his smart play on Saturday, Jones, could have had the key to De Allende’s cage in his pocket all of this time.
At least coach Robbie Fleck thinks so.“It was just a matter of time before Damian found his feet again. This weekend I felt that there was a bit more communication in the backline with Jonesy, Jaco Taute, and that alerts Damian that these guys are in space.
“He said to me the communication was excellent (against the Kings), and that allowed him to straighten the line and pass. What makes him dangerous is that he can get over the advantage line, but has that ability to pass both sides.”
Jones, who made his first start for the Stormers this year, likes playing with De Allende, and feels they are a good combination.
“I’ve got quite a nice combination with Damian. We train every day and we know how each other play, the characteristics of each other’s game,” Jones says.
“It’s nice to play with someone that you can see what they will do. You can see from their body language where they are going to go.”
But to give De Allende sole recognition for Jones’ four tries would be unfair, as the newly capped Scotland international finished off his chances brilliantly, which included a nice chip-and-gather in the first half.
Jones is certainly looking a different player after getting a taste of international rugby with Scotland against Japan during the June Test break.
“You have got to take opportunities when you get them. I wasn’t expecting a call from Scotland, but when I did get it, it was nice. To get an international cap is really nice as well,” Jones said.“It wasn’t too difficult a decision, because it’s quite hard to say no to international rugby."
Cape Argus