Why Damian De Allende Will Be South Africa's X-Factor at 2015 Rugby Championship

A hugely productive 2015 Super Rugby season has seen Damian de Allende rise into pole position to star as part of Heyneke Meyer's midfield at the Rugby Championship, where he can emerge as a Springboks sensation.

De Allende has earned just three caps so far in his career, but a swift period of vast growth and several other variables mean the Stormers star can take the team onto new heights this summer.

The 23-year-old has been simmering for some time as a potential mainstay for the Springboks, and now is the time for De Allende to lead his nation in the buildup to this year's Rugby World Cup.

Read on as we discuss why the centre marvel will be South Africa's X-factor at the 2015 Rugby Championship.

A Step In the Right Direction

Most prevalent of all De Allende's talents and the most obvious he offers Heyneke coming back into the Springboks lineup is stopping power, sitting as one of the best carriers in the world at present.

The 2015 Super Rugby campaign saw the Stormers' talismanic centre break down barriers like never before, and though their forward pack was the foundation of their playoff run, De Allende lit up their back line.

It was enough to earn him a place in Meyer's starting team for Saturday's 46-10 win over a star-studded World XV, where the midfielder bagged two tries to lead his nation to victory.

Just as he has done all year, De Allende put on a feast of line-breaking potential that proved crucial in both his scores, but Ultimate Rugby depicted the first as being a particularly impressive piece of penetration:

"No backward steps" must be a motto for the emerging South Africa staple, who suits Meyer's desire for an inside centre in that he's more than happy to hit crash ball after crash ball in the name of yardage.

However, De Allende is more than just a mere smuggler at close range, leaving both ESPN Scrum's Tom Hamilton and Brenden Nel of SuperSport in awe of his ability this past weekend:

Meyer's midfield is an area that needs its stars, too, as Jean de Villiers continues his return to full fitness, while confidence in the likes of Jan Serfontein, Jaque Fourie, JP Pietersen and Jesse Kriel won't be as high.

De Allende showed this year what he's capable of doing among a back line of what are, in all honesty, quite average assets. Imagine what his forward-thinking approach could do in a team of like-minded stars.

A Timely Coming of Age

As aforementioned, De Allende's rise into the international hierarchy has been some time coming for some, but Super Rugby is a far different animal to Test rugby, an arena that's proven the downfall of many would-be headliners.

Having said that, not only have we seen how the player can stand out among the southern hemisphere's premier club competition, but we're now learning De Allende does have what it takes to be a Springboks leader.

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After representing Western Province for the past three years and making 31 appearances for the Stormers in the past two seasons, scoring seven tries, the bruiser's pedigree is quickly escalating.

One of those left impressed by De Allende's two-try display against the World XV was opposition coach Robbie Deans, who told Netwerk24.com (via Sport24) he can bring something new to Meyer's setup:

"

Damian has been playing remarkable rugby the whole year and he keeps doing the right things. He can add a new dimension to the Boks. It was also nice to see Jean on the field again. From a leadership point of view, he’ll be an important player at the World Cup. He and Damian look very dangerous together.

"

And it's not just his victims De Allende is impressing, either, after team-mate Victor Matfield also picked the No. 12 out as a particular highlight, per Sport24: "I thought Damian de Allende also did very well."

At 6'2" and weighing just over 100 kilograms, it's fair to say the days are gone when De Allende's opposite numbers were assured of boasting a physical advantage over him.

Despite being capable of the smash-mouth style Meyer might seek in his inside centre, the young gun has proven to be a capable technician and not to mention being incredibly rounded in his skill set.

Strength is a given forte, but De Allende also brings superb acceleration, speed and a deft offloading ability that might draw comparison to a certain Waikato-based New Zealander. He's ready to duel against the big boys.

Youthful Exuberance

Lying at one end of the spectrum is De Villiers, who Meyer might hope will have some involvement in the Rugby Championship, although he's bound to be restricted as a pre-World Cup safety measure.

And at the other end of that spectrum comes a 23-year-old De Allende, who has his entire career in front of him and is preparing for what should be his first genuine piece of international prominence.

He managed to start two Rugby Championship games last year, but both of those came against Argentina before residing on the bench for the rest of the competition.

Since then, De Allende has come on leaps and bounds, but will be even more eager to prove his credentials to the international selectors, with ESPN Scrum's Brett McKay hailing his evolution earlier this year:

Youth can be an enigmatic component for a player in major competitions, where some players embrace their responsibilities from a tender age, while other shirk those duties and find themselves out of their depth.

The Stormers may have lost their Super Rugby playoff qualifier to the Brumbies, but as Opta's Russ Petty illustrates, De Allende suffered no loss in reputation, effectively the story of his season:

That ability to hold one's head high and plough on—both figuratively and literally—would suggest that while he may be young, De Allende is capable of bearing South Africa's burden, thriving on the pressure.

The Cape Town prodigy has all the tools at his disposal to feature as a Springboks icon for years to come, and the 2015 Rugby Championship could mark the real beginning of his South Africa surge.