Damien De Allende is a serious, serious signing.

He’s one of the most underrated elements of South Africa’s World Cup-winning squad so securing his services on a two-year deal for the start of the 2020/2021 season is a serious coup for Munster Rugby and a massive statement of intent.

A lot of attention will be focused on the players who aren’t Damian De Allende in the aftermath of this acquisition so let’s have a look at them before we look at what De Allende will bring to the Munster midfield from next season.

What does this mean for Chris Farrell, Dan Goggin, Rory Scannell and Sam Arnold? Well, initially at least, not much. Of all the senior midfielders on the list, I think this signing spells the most trouble for Sam Arnold in the short term, but for all the others in the medium term, I expect De Allende – who’s comfortable at 12 or 13 – will play alongside all of them at some point or another.

There will, inevitably, be people who will claim that this signing will “block” younger talent from coming through.

I don’t agree. Anyone that can be blocked by this signing, will be blocked. Any young Munster player who has test level potential, could not be blocked by anyone. They would show every day in training – every rep, every minute in opposition – that they can help their coach win rugby matches. They will show in every 20-minute cameo that they have what it takes to win their coach rugby matches. They will have to outstrip the lads ahead of them. They will have to prove themselves with every minute of game time they get. If they do that, they will make themselves indispensable to Munster and if they do that, they will make themselves indispensable to Ireland.

Blocked?

Test match animals – both current and future – are unblockable.

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Damian De Allende has been framed as a crash ball #12 but I think that’s a distortion of his real ability.

Sure, he can carry a ball for you. His imposing 6’3″, 16.5 stone frame and raw power make him a credible gain line monster at any level of the game, and against any opponent you could put him up against.

A lot of that comes from his acceleration into contact, which is top drawer. That little bit of extra zip is a real difference-maker for De Allende in contact, as is his low-gear leg drive once he gets there.

If you need a midfielder to set a dominant target for you off a lineout or scrum, De Allende is up there with the very best in the game at doing just that, if that’s what you want. He was outstanding in this role for the Springboks and you could see how pairing him with Chris Farrell in the Munster midfield would be attractive for Van Graan.

Yet for a guy who is as dominant as De Allende is on the gainline, that isn’t the only thing there is to his skillset. He’s an excellent passer of the ball, especially in the wider areas. De Allende’s ability to take the ball right to the gainline, drawing defenders and then passing away is top drawer.

For a guy who is consistently slated for his passing, De Allende is a guy who excels in releasing runners in the wide spaces.

Footwork, ball in two hands, a change of direction at speed – all underpinned by the physicality everyone knows he has. It’s that close handling ability that makes him such a dangerous player at the very highest level. You’ve got a player capable of breaking the line, winning collisions, bringing in wider players consistently and also having the top end pace to link the play on line breaks.

Kicking game? He’s got that too – long and short.

From an offensive POV, De Allende is a player that consistently demands the ball on the big occasion and then nails the delivery. It sounds like a small thing – who doesn’t want the ball? – but when it comes to the biggest days, having midfielders that demand the ball against big opposition is a difference-maker between decent players and great ones.

Defensively, I think De Allende is one of the best around. He’s a big hitter, yes, but it’s his decision making and awareness of position and space that make him stand out to me. In this instance, he doesn’t bury himself by getting stuck into Jamie George. He doesn’t pillar up – the easy decision – instead, he makes his way out to the edge where he helps choke up the English attack on the next phase.

He’s a guy that likes his big stops too – and it’s a standout area for him – but, as with his ball carrying, his leg drive after the contact makes him an opponent that always needs to be cleaned out and is rarely done after the tackle.

He draws multiple Welsh players to the breakdown, stays alive in the ruck and stalls the Welsh attack.

The biggest compliment that I can pay Damian De Allende is that he is a complete midfielder. He can take any role that Munster’s midfield may be asked to do from an offensive POV next year and is equally comfortable playing at #12 or #13.

There’s very little that he doesn’t do to a very high level. He would improve any midfield in Europe and next year he’ll be a key component of Munster’s push for trophies.