7 November 2026
The Springboks delivered a clinical first-half masterclass to overpower Italy 66-07 in Turin. Rassie Erasmus’s men produced a flawless opening 40 minutes, scoring seven converted tries to secure the bonus point within 23 minutes. Despite a heavily substituted, error-ridden second half, the world champions' early dominance proved insurmountable for the hosts.
The Springboks launched a relentless onslaught from the kick-off to pin Italy deep inside their own half. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu opened the account with an early penalty in the 6th minute before slicing through the Azzurri defensive line for a brilliant 40-metre solo try in the 10th minute. The flyhalf enjoyed a perfect day with the boot, converting all nine Bok tries for a personal 21-point haul.
Italy handed the visitors continuous attacking opportunities on a silver platter through unforced errors and poor discipline. Morné van den Berg sniped from the base of a ruck to cross for the second major in the 15th minute. The Bok pack then weaponised their set-piece, yielding rolling-maul tries for Malcolm Marx in the 20th minute and captain Siya Kolisi in the 23rd minute.
Jasper Wiese cut the Italian midfield to ribbons shortly after to put Damian Willemse over for an easy five-pointer in the 25th minute. Marx grabbed his brace in the 35th minute from another unstoppable five-metre lineout drive just before the break. The clinical, zero-mistake performance sent South Africa into the tunnel with a commanding 45-0 lead.
Erasmus made wholesale changes at the 45-minute mark to empty the Springbok bench. The tactical reshuffle sparked a chaotic 10-minute spell marked by handling errors from both sides. Tighthead prop Wilco Louw eventually broke the second-half deadlock in the 55th minute, bulldozing his way over the whitewash from close range.
Italy capitalised on the Boks' unforced errors to secure quality front-foot ball in the final quarter. The Azzurri executed a sharp lineout play and shifted possession rapidly into the wider channels in the 65th minute. Lock Federico Ruzza finished strongly in the corner, with Tommaso Allan adding the extra two points.
The South African pack reasserted their physical dominance in the closing stages of the match. Paul de Villiers crashed over off the back of yet another powerful driving maul in the 73rd minute. Rookie back Ethan Hooker capped off the 9-try rout in the 79th minute, bursting through multiple defenders from a dominant scrum platform.
Scorers:
Italy: Try: Federico Ruzza. Conversion: Tommaso Allan.
Springboks: Tries: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Morne van den Berg, Malcolm Marx (2), Siya Kolisi, Damian Willemse, Wilco Louw, Paul de Villiers, Ethan Hooker. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (9). Penalty: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Teams:
Italy: 15 Mirko Belloni, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Paolo Odogwu, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Samuele Locatelli, 6 Alessandro Ortombina, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera (c), 1 Muhamed Hasa. Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Enoch Opoku Gyamfi, 20 Ross Vintcent, 21 Manuel Zuliani, 22 Stephen Varney, 23 Tommaso Allan.
Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok.