De Allende, Kriel the best Bok centre pairing, says French Test hopeful Ward
· Citizen
Former Junior Springboks captain Jeremy Ward, who now plays his rugby in France and is hopeful of cracking the French Test team one day, has called South Africa’s two World Cup-winning centres among the very best to have commanded the midfield.
Ward (30) captained the SA U20s in 2016 and faced both Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel during his time in South Africa.
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Because of the dominance of De Allende and Kriel, and Lukhanyo Am before them, Ward has never had the chance to get into the Bok picture.
The former Sharks man, who moved to France in 2022 where he plays for Stade Francais, is hoping to qualify for the French national team towards the end of next year.
‘As good as they come’
Interviewed by AFP this week, ahead of Friday night’s Nations Championship Test between the Springboks and France in Paris, Ward spoke in glowing terms about the current world champions … and the centre pairing of De Allende and Kriel.
“As a pair, I think the longevity, the consistency, the way that they’ve been able to maintain that for the period, they’re probably the best centre pair that have worn the Springbok jersey,” Ward said.
“I don’t take that lightly because there’s been some incredible pairs in the past, but they’re about as good as they come.”
De Allende has played 104 Tests for the Boks, while Kriel has played 95 Tests.
French Test hopes
Speaking about his chances of getting a call-up by Fabien Galthie from October next year, when he qualifies, Ward said he had no expectations.
“It’s probably the most competition throughout the entire squad,” Ward said of the midfield.
“There’s just a whole bunch of quality there.
“A lot of boys that play rugby at the highest level week in, week out.”
Looking ahead to Friday’s match in Saint Denis, Ward said: “I know that with the quality they have in the line-up and with the Stade de France stadium behind them, there’ll be a lot riding on it.
“I’m fully confident that if they [France] hit their straps, it’ll be a really good entertaining game to watch.”