A new-look Springbok team has been entrusted to take on a dangerous Italy side in what will be South Africa’s third-to-last Test this year. Kick off is at 14:40 (SA time).
Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick made it clear on Friday that the Springboks would not underestimate the home team.
“It’s a tough week because we are facing a team that comes off a good game against Australia, while a few other players are getting an opportunity to play, and that motivates us immensely,” said Stick.
“The players have been working very hard and waiting for their opportunity, such as Handre (Pollard) and Canan (Moodie), among others, so for us, whoever gets a chance to represent the country, it’s not just about playing for yourself, but close to 60 million South Africans at home. This Test is a massive game for us.
Commenting on the speculation in the media that the matchday squad was not the strongest the Springboks could select, Stick brushed off the criticism, saying: “There’s no such thing as a trial match when it comes to the Springboks. It’s going to be a tough game, and we need to respect the players who are receiving an opportunity to play. We all know Italy are in a good space as a team, and improving week in and week out.
“In Pretoria, they posed big challenges in the second half, so they are a side you can never underestimate. That said, we’ll be prepared, and the players are excited and looking forward to the match.”
LIVE SCORING: Springboks v Italy
Teams:
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Ethan Hooker, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Marco van Staden, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 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 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok.
Italy: 15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex (captain), 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 Niccolò 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.
Date: Saturday, November 15
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin
Kick-off: 14:40 SA Time
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Jérémy Rozier (France)
TMO: Tual Trainini (France)
Stats and facts:
Springbok record against Italy:
Played 18; Won 17; Lost 1; Points for: 851, Points against: 219; Tries scored 113, Tries conceded 19; Highest score 101-0; Biggest win 101 points. Win % 94%.
Miscellaneous:
- RG Snyman requires only one Test cap after Saturday’s encounter to join the select club of players to earn 50 Test caps.
- The Springboks have faced Italy 18 times and won 17 of those matches. Their only defeat was in Florence in 2016, where Italy pipped the Boks by 20-18.
- This will mark the first time the teams face one another in Turin.
- Mani Libbok requires only nine more points to score 150 Test points.
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 430.
- There are 193 caps in the backline, with 237 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 240 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 28, the forwards 30, while the players on the bench average 30.
