When the Autumn Nations Series schedule was confirmed ages ago, Italy versus the Springboks wasn’t a fixture that jumped off the page.
But it now deserves attention before rugby fans gorge themselves later on Saturday with blockbusters in the guise of England-New Zealand and Ireland-Australia.
Despite the Italians defusing the bomb squad and fighting off an expected second-half hammering last July in Pretoria after trailing 3-28 to only lose 24-42, they were nilled 0-45 the following week in Gqeberha.
The straw they clutched was that they had sent an understrength squad to South Africa, but that excuse didn’t get the pulse racing for this November renewal.
So what’s changed? Italy’s ambush of the Wallabies last weekend was a dream boost for the FIR marketing team as they look to sell a fixture that is taking place in the football heartland of Turin. Then came the naming of the latest Springboks side.
Just four players were retained from the epic win over France in Paris last weekend and while no XV containing the legendary delights that are Handre Pollard and Siya Kolisi, some of the experimental nature of the team chosen by Rassie Erasmus has certainly whetted the appetite.
It is a gigantic leap to suggest that a shock similar to what unfolded in Florence nine years ago could potentially unfold, but what can confidently be said is that the Italians will fancy their chances of causing a few headaches and sternly examining some of Erasmus’ latest selection gambits.
Where the game will be won
It was in the collision zone where Italy proved a handful for the South Africans four months ago, a situation that wasn’t lost on head coach Erasmus who on Thursday mentioned how Gonzalo Quesada’s side “had 66 bites at the breakdown”.
That’s an impressive stat given how polished and precise the Springbok activity usually is in this area, and whether the Italians can get busy here again will have a huge bearing on how the match pans out.
There was an iron will about last weekend’s South African performance in Paris, an admirable defiance in the way they refused to buckle despite being a man down to a red card. Players looked after each other in difficult circumstances at the Stade de France and that cohesion was heartily rewarded on the scoreboard that eventually read 32-17.
Other obvious motivations drove them on, such as the match being the first time the Springboks had played the French since the hotly debated 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final. It was also the 100th appearance for Kolisi, the man of the South African people.
Those types of match build-up inspirations don’t exist this weekend and the key to how comfortably South Africa can win this game in Turin will be how their reshuffled pack gels. For instance, their inexperienced front-row – Boan Venter, Johan Grobbelaar and Zachary Porthen – have just 12 caps between them, so expect them to be seriously tested.
That’s a situation that could be exacerbated later in the game as the starting number eight Marco van Staden is providing the cover at hooker in another of these hybrid gambles that Erasmus is growing so fond of in his mission to build his squad for Rugby World Cup 2027.
We will have a match to savour if Italy can make a fist of things in the forwards as they have plenty of threats in their backs, but on paper it seems as if the Springboks have a trump card in the selection of Pollard at fly-half. He is the perfect class act to have on board if the score becomes uncomfortably tight.
Last time they met
What they said
Head coach Erasmus was candid in admitting this Springbok selection was heavily influenced by what is awaiting over the horizon – next weekend’s match versus Ireland in Dublin. Here is part of his thinking behind his rookie front-row combination.
“Definitely, we are saving Thomas (du Toit) a little bit for the Irish match as we won’t have him after that when we play Wales, as that is outside the window.”
What is clearly driving the mischievous Erasmus on is his goal of stress testing every part of his design to win the three-peat in Australia in two years’ time. It’s why he wasn’t in the slightest bit interested in sending for cover once the Lood de Jager suspension was confirmed following his Stade de France red card.
“We feel we have enough locks to cover us. Like a World Cup squad size is 33 and it’s even more games. This is a five-week tour. It’s not nice but we have to make plans.” Too right.
Italian boss Quesada left South Africa in July accusing the hosts of disrespect with some of the unusual tactics they employed, such as purposely messing up the kick-off in order to have an immediate scrum. But he has been polite this week leading into the rematch.
“South Africa is a fantastic team with great individual players. We know how they work: the week before the France match, they already announced the 23-man squad that would play against Italy,” he said.
“They trained together all last week, perhaps opposing their teammates chosen to play against France. So they worked together to make the most of the two weeks to be ready for our match, honing their automatic reflexes. That’s why I don’t see many weaknesses in their squad.
“We will have to try to put them under pressure to see if all these players, who haven’t played together much and are unfamiliar with each other, can stay fluid and reach their potential.
“They have many players capable of making a difference individually, but it’s up to us to put them under pressure because this is a group that has never played together, they have never shared a match, they might not have many automatic reactions. Rugby, after all, is a game of connection.”
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Players to watch
Attention from a South African perspective will immediately fall on how their new-look front-row fares in what should be a stern examination from Marco Riccioni, Giacomo Nicotera and Danilo Fischetti. But that won’t be the only area grabbing the imagination.
For example, it’s been quite a while – the early September Rugby Championship loss to the All Blacks in Auckland – since Pollard was on the pitch and how he glues with Morne van den Berg, an inexperienced Test number nine, will add another important layer to the Erasmus report card.
So too the duo running out in the midfield for the first time together. Canan Moodie is something of a lucky charm, judging by what the head coach said about him on Thursday.
The decision to pair him with Ethan Hooker, a rookie talent who has so far earned his stripes on the wing, tees up a delicious challenge against Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello.
The Italian centres are beautiful to watch, and they will be dangerous on the front foot. Italy’s back three also have the potential to be an enormous handful in attack, but there is no guarantee they will be heavily involved given so much depends on the ball-winning success of their pack.
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Prediction
As much as you can be excited by Italy surprising the Wallabies, it’s not enough to suggest lightning can strike for a second successive weekend.
Yes, the Springboks were humbled by the Aussies at home in Johannesburg last August, but the rotational growth in their squad since that setback has been enormous and they have more than enough talent involved in Turin to register a 15 points or more win.
Previous results
2025: Springboks won 45-0 in Gqeberha
2025: Springboks won 42-24 in Pretoria
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
Italy: 15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex (c), 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Ross Vintcent, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Riccardo Favretto, 21 David Odiase, 22 Martin Page-Relo, 23 Tommaso Allan
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Ethan Hooker, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Marco van Staden, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Zachary Porthen, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements: 16 Gerhard Steenekamp, 17 Wilco Louw, 18 RG Snyman, 19 Ruan Nortje, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok
Date: Saturday, November 15
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin
Kick-off: 12:40 GMT (13:40 CETR, 14:40 SAST)
Referee: James Doleman (NZR)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR), Jérémy Rozier (FFR)
TMO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
FPRO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)