Cape Town - Western Province coach John Dobson has welcomed the return of Springbok centre Damian de Allende into their squad ahead of Friday night’s Currie Cup clash against Boland at Newlands.
The midfielder was one of a trio of Springbok players released to their unions from the national squad on Monday, along with Golden Lions hooker Malcolm Marx and Sharks wing Lwazi Mvovo.
The three players will join their provincial training teams on Tuesday morning after it was decided to release them earlier than normal, because of the short training week for their Currie Cup teams.
Dobson feels it is a major boost to be able to call on a player of De Allende’s quality.
“Damian is a world class centre, who brings considerable ability and experience to our backline,” the coach told the WP Rugby website.
“This game against Boland is a crucial one in terms of our campaign, so to have a player of his class in the mix makes a big difference for us.”
A bonus-point win for WP would assure them a spot in the semi-finals.