Springboks v Italy preview: Rassie’s men to emphatically thrash inexperienced Azzurri who crumble in the face of ‘toughest challenge that exists’
Springboks centre and captain Jesse Kriel and Italy star Tommaso Menoncello
The Springboks’ season finally gets underway at Loftus Versfeld as Rassie Erasmus’ men tackle Italy in Pretoria.
Erasmus’ charges made light work of the Barbarians in Cape Town last week, powering to a 54-7 victory over the famous invitational team and will be eager to build momentum in their first official Test match of the year.
Meanwhile, the Azzurri enjoyed a comprehensive thrashing of Namibia in Windhoek last week, running in 11 tries against South Africa’s neighbours, but Gonzalo Quesada and his men will be well aware that they are facing a far fiercer challenge this weekend.
The Italians finished in fifth place in the Six Nations after defeating Wales, effectively ending Warren Gatland’s tenure as head coach, while running Ireland incredibly close in the final round.
However, just nine players who featured in that win over the Welsh feature in the matchday 23 to face off against the Springboks, with Quesada opting to build depth on the tour of Africa with one eye on the Rugby World Cup.
The Springboks, meanwhile, are taking no chances of falling to a first-ever defeat to the Azzurri on South African soil or have a repeat of 2016 when they fell to a first loss to the Italians in Florence.
Erasmus has named 12 Rugby World Cup winners in the starting XV, with a further seven amongst the famous Bomb Squad.
Where the game will be won
Tony Brown has led a revolution of the Springboks’ attack, with the former All Blacks fly-half adding another dimension since joining Erasmus’ backroom staff last year.
While the Boks are far more pleasing on the eye with the ball in hand, the traditional strengths remain the cornerstone of South Africa’s game a lesson that the Baa-Baas learnt last weekend.
The likes of Cian Healy and co. managed to trade blows with the Boks at times during the fixture, but their lineout was picked off time and time again by the likes of Lood de Jager, Vincent Tshituka and Jean Kleyn.
That suffocated the Baa-Baas and starved them of any platform from which to launch attacks while the Boks feasted on their set-piece dominance, with the backs adding further shine to the victory.
If the Azzurri are to have any chance of producing arguably their greatest-ever upset, they will need to get some sort of parity up front and combine that with a heroic defensive effort and a lethal attack.
It’s certainly a tall order, but under the tutelage of Quesada, the Italians have vastly improved in all facets of their game and have troubled some of the best teams in the world.
Last time they met
What they said
Wary of the threat of the Springboks forward, Italy boss Quesada explained that a traditional 5-3 split against South Africa was simply out of the question.
“It is difficult to consider the possibility of bringing a 5-3 bench split against South Africa,” Quesada said.
“We are forced to play with a 6-2 to face them; we cannot afford to have one less forward.”
That had a knock-on effect on the rest of the team, with Leonardo Marin dropping out of the team while Giulio Bertaccini is tasked with covering the midfield and wing.
Quesada has repeatedly explained that he wants to build depth in his squad and highlighted the disparity in the experience of the two matchday 23.
“We counted the caps, there are 388 Italians against their 1204. For this group, it is an incredible opportunity, playing at the home of the best in the world and against a top-level team, and the fact that they field such a strong team shows the respect that South Africa has for us,” the former Jaguares coach explained.
“We could find many adjectives for South Africa, but the reality is that there is no greater challenge than this, it is the most difficult match that the boys have ever faced; it is the toughest challenge that exists.”
He added: “Our goal is to compete at our best against them and finish the game with our heads held high. We know what kind of game we want to play and how we can put pressure on them. I didn’t need to pump up the guys, because their motivation is already very high and they are all aware of the great test that awaits them and the storm we will have to face.”
The Springboks aren’t taking the Italians lightly this weekend highlighted by Erasmus’ selections with veteran hooker Bongi Mbonambi expecting a passionate effort from the Azzurri.
“When you represent your country, you always have something to lose, and that applies to both us and them,” he said.
“We are expecting a massive battle from them, and we know they are going to come hard at us up front for 80 minutes, so we cannot afford to get comfortable at any stage of the match because they have the potential to cause damage.
“Some may be underestimating them, but as a team, we have a lot to lose if we let ourselves down on the field.”
On the Italian pack, he added: “The Italian pack proved what they can do in the Six Nations, and they are a team that believes in their systems and plays with a lot of passion.
“They also have a coach in Gonzalo Quesada who drives that passion. They may have a smaller group of players to choose from compared to South Africa with so few clubs, but they are hard-working players, and we are expecting a tough day at the office.”
Springboks duo open up on what to expect in two-Test series against Italy
Players to watch
Erasmus may have selected a squad littered with proven pedigree at the highest level, but the head coach has managed to fit in fresh faces in his run-on team, with flanker Vincent Tshituka making his Test debut in Green and Gold. The DRC-born back-rower put in a mighty performance against the Baa-Baas in the uncapped clash, earning himself an official first cap in the first game of the year. An all-action loose forward, he has been tasked with filling Pieter-Steph du Toit’s void in the pack and shone through his work-rate and at lineout time while grabbing a brace of tries. After a confidence-building first outing last week, he will be eager to shine once again, with Du Toit expected to be fit again for the second Test match in Gqeberha.
The other rookie in the squad is at scrum-half with Morne van den Berg earning his third Test cap for the Springboks and combines with double World Cup winner Handre Pollard. Erasmus has likened the livewire Lions number nine to ex-All Blacks star Aaron Smith, and while he hasn’t quite burst onto the international scene yet, he has impressed last week with a well-rounded and smooth attacking performance. Most of his appearances for the Boks have come in wet weather, and with his attacking game being his real strong point, perhaps this weekend will be the first time he really gets to flex his strengths in Green and Gold. He can’t have asked for a better half-back partner to express himself with Pollard providing the cool head and experience that any inexperienced nine could hope for.
Meanwhile, for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final, Damian Willemse will pull on a Springboks jersey as he lines up full-back. The brilliant utility back has endured an unfortunate run of injuries that prevented his involvement with Aphelele Fassi shining in his absence. There is no doubt about his quality, and Willemse will be hellbent on laying down a marker on intent.
In the absence of burly blindside flanker Seb Negri, Alessandro Izekor gets the nod for the number six jumper and has the opportunity to shine against arguably the toughest pack in world rugby. The Benetton loose forward shone in the URC this season and will be out to replicate those all-action and aggressive shifts on both sides of the ball against the Boks. A serious athlete, Izekor is not only aggressive in contact but is also rapid.
Backing him on the bench is South African-born back-rower Ross Vinctent, who has a similar skillset to Izekor. The Exeter Chiefs star was lively against Namibia last week in the starting XV, but is renowned for his impacts from the bench for the Azzurri. While he copped a red card against Ireland in Italy’s final game of the Six Nations, he shone in the other four fixtures.
While the Italians are void of some of their best and brightest stars, Quesada has still fielded two lightning-quick, lethal wingers in the form of Simone Gesi and Louis Lynagh. The former has lit up the URC with Zebre, flexing his blistering pace and stunning footwork. Meanwhile, Lynagh has struggled with injuries since making the move to Benetton but his time at Harlequins showed just how much of threat he can be with ball in hand.
Finally, with regular captain Michele Lamaro rested for the tour to South Africa, his spot in the back row is filled by the in-form Manuel Zuliani. A brilliant breakdown exponent, the flanker will pilfer and pester the Springboks’ rucks with every opportunity that comes his way. He is incredibly abrasive on defence, too.
Main head-to-head
Sure, the battle will be won and lost up front, but frankly, there is no head-to-head battle juicer than the one at outside centre with new Springboks captain Jesse Kriel lining up across from Italy’s star man Tommaso Menoncello.
Kriel has been a brilliant servant to South Africa despite his personal setbacks and led the defensive effort that won the Rugby World Cup in France two years ago. While his defensive attributes are regularly lauded, Kriel has shown that he is not a one-trick pony, taking his attacking game to another level in the Brown masterminded structure.
In the opposite jersey, the marvellous Menoncello gets a rare start without the excellent Juan Ignacio Brex in the midfield. The duo have been central to Italy’s success in recent seasons, and while he will be without his partner in crime against the number one ranked team in the world, the powerful 22-year-old has an all-court skillset to cause the Boks all kinds of havoc. He has a wonderful blend of pace, power and intelligence that has proven to be a real handful for the best of the best.
Prediction
As much as the Italians will play with pride and passion that the Azzurri jersey demands, Saturday’s showdown at Loftus just looks too much of a task for an inexperienced squad.
The Springboks are a mighty force in international rugby, and Erasmus has taken no chances for the first game of the year, fielding a squad of proven match-winners at the highest level.
The starting XV is littered with world-class talents, and the same is true for the bench, which could well be the major difference between the two outfits. If the Azzurri manage to keep the game tight in the first half, they will struggle to do so as the Boks boss deploys the famed Bomb Squad, which is bound to explode and bloat the scoreline massively as South Africa blast their way to emphatic victory by at least 30 points.
Previous result
2022: Springboks won 63-21 in Genoa
2019: Springboks won 49-3 in Shizuoka
2017: Springboks won 35-6 in Padua
2016: Italy won 35-6 in Florence
2014: Springboks won 22-6 in Padua
2013: Springboks won 44-10 in Durban
2010: Springboks won 55-11 in East London
2010: Springboks won 29-13 in Witbank
2009: Springboks won 32-10 in Udine
2008: Springboks won 26-0 in Cape Town
The teams
Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (c), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Willie le Roux
Italy: 15 Jacopo Trulla, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Marco Zanon, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements: 16 Pablo Dimcheff, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 19 Matteo Canali, 20 Ross Vintcent, 21 David Odiase, 22 Alessandro Garbisi, 23 Giulio Bertaccini
Date: Saturday, July 5
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 17:10 (local), 16:10 (UK)
Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
Assistants: Matthew Carley (RFU), Andrew Brace (IRFU)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
READ MORE: Italy team v Springboks: New Azzurri captain named as Gonzalo Quesada rings the changes
