Springbok assistant coach Tony Brown stressed on Monday that the Boks would not underestimate Italy this week as the teams prepare to line up at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Saturday, adding that the Azzurri’s 26-19 victory against Australia last weekend rubberstamped the improvement they have been making as a team.
The Boks extended their lead on the world rankings over New Zealand on the weekend, and despite tenth-placed Italy on Saturday, Brown and Springbok loose forward Marco van Staden said they expected a colossal encounter against the Italians in front of their home crowd.
The Boks travelled to Italy via Bologna on Sunday, and immediately started their preparations for the match on Monday with their first field training session.
“The France game was massive and it had been built up for a long time,” said Brown.
“There was a lot of media in France about the team trying to get revenge (after the 2023 RWC), but now that’s done, and the whole team has moved on to focusing on Italy.
“If you watched them play against Australia, you’d know they are going to be a tough team, and this weekend is going to be a big challenge for us.
“They are very passionate at home, much like the French, so we’ve got to make sure we prepare as well as we can and tick every box like we did against France.”
Zooming in on the threats Italy pose, Brown said: “They are a physical side, and they play differently to France. They pose other challenges with the ball in hand, and they are also coached very much like an Argentine team, who like to throw the ball around.
“Their game has improved in the last couple of years, and they are a dangerous side, so we have to make sure we understand their threats and prepare as well as we can for them.
“They were outstanding against Australia. They pose a massive threat at the breakdown because they won numerous turnovers on Australian ball there, but they are also very dangerous when they get space and opportunities, so we are not taking them lightly, and we’ll prepare accordingly.
“If our preparation is off, there’s no doubt they are going to be very dangerous on Saturday.”