Why Allan Alaalatoa was named after legendary cricket captain Allan Border
NEARLY three decades after Allan Border led Australia to a famous series win in post-apartheid South Africa, his Wallaby namesake, Allan Alaalatoa, will look to harness the legendary skipper’s fighting qualities.
WALLABIES prop Allan Alaalatoa was named after Allan Border in 1994 just weeks before the cricket great embarked on his final tour to grab the first victories for Australian sport in post-apartheid South Africa.
For Alaalatoa’s father Vili to represent Samoa at rugby yet name his son after a cricketer shows how deep his respect was for the fighting qualities, batting, leadership and sheer stubborn streak of Border to never give an opponent a break.
The Wallabies need to harness a few of those big qualities themselves to stay in the hunt for the full 80 minutes in Port Elizabeth on Saturday night against a South African side which looks ominously ready to unleash.
Alaalatoa will not know that Border played two one-dayers just down the road from the team hotel at St George’s Park in PE on that history-making tour in early 1994 because, as a cricketer, he makes a fine rugby prop.
“My old man said I had to choose between rugby or cricket growing up,” Alaalatoa said.
“He was my old man’s hero around the time I was born so he just called me Allan after Allan Border.”
“We play a bit of cricket in the gym but that’s about as close as I’m going to get. Me, I bowl a bit of spin.”
Packmate Ned Hanigan said the Border link stayed well hidden: “Allan holds a cricket bat like a tennis racquet … I don’t think there is a lot of cricketing genetics there.”
It is something of a Samoan custom to honour great people or events when naming kids. Apollo Perelini, the 1991 World Cup flanker, who was born on July 16, 1969 when Apollo 11 blasted off with the astronauts for the first moon landing.
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It’s as a prop of real authority that Alaalatoa must shine because the pressure applied by the Wallabies at the scrum, with an Izack Rodda lineout steal and pressuring breakdown work aided the gritty 23-18 win over the Springboks in Brisbane earlier this month.
Alaalatoa has become a member of the curious Wallabies generation who win more often away from Australia than on home soil.
He has won just six of his 12 Tests on home soil yet has grabbed seven abroad in tough contests in Mendoza, Paris, Edinburgh, London, Yokohama and Cardiff (twice) during his 26-Test career.
For Alaalatoa, getting on the road and being totally dependent on each other away from distractions may just be part of the turnaround formula after dropping four of six Tests in Australia this season.
“Being away now is going to be good for us,” Alaalatoa said.
“We only have each other and it’s something we need to draw on and use throughout the week to push through that barrier.
“It’s a good time for us to tour, connect as a group and get to know each other a lot more than what we do now.”
Alaalatoa’s theory on the superior results on the road is simply that most away Tests are played later in the season when combinations have meshed more strongly.
When 34 new Wallabies have been blooded since his 2016 intake started, his notion makes some sense.
“We’re growing as a group and with the away games being later in the season we’re obviously hitting towards that point where we’re developing and getting to know our game plan,” Alaalatoa said.
The Wallabies may throw everything at this Test and find it is still not enough against the heroes who conquered the All Blacks 36-34.
Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick was generous with his regard for the Wallabies.
“They are hurting and we have recently been there (with a loss to Argentina as well) so we are not going to underestimate them,” Stick said.
“They have a good coaching staff and you look at Kurtley Beale and (Will) Genia, who on their best day can destroy any team.”
Just as the Wallabies are chasing more clinical finishing, Boks halfback Faf de Klerk said that was a key element for his side to sustain after the five tries against the All Blacks.
“On their day, I don’t think Australia is a worse side than New Zealand so I think this is just as tough for us,” de Klerk said.
“Our main goal has been to become a consistent team, not just a team that is one week, great, and the next, off.”
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Originally published as Why Allan Alaalatoa was named after legendary cricket captain Allan Border