A week after dominating the Barbarians, South Africa launched its summer tour by a broad success against Italy (42-24) in front of its Pretoria audience.
The Springboks give the “the” of their summer tour. Opposed to Italy on the lawn of the Loftus Versfeld Stadium of Pretoria, the players of Rassie Erasmus only put only ten minutes before launching hostilities. Jesse Kriel thus scored the first test, transformed by Handre Pollard.
At just over a quarter of an hour of the break, it was Morné van den Berg who was the addition. The South African scrum half saw its scorer bringing the head of the world champions to fourteen units. On this action, the third Italian line Lorenzo Cannone left hers to one less on yellow card. A numerical inferiority that Squadra Azzurra was first managed to manage. Giacomo da re opening the transalpine counter on penalty shortly before half an hour of play.
However, it was to wear that South Africa has widened the gap through Kurt-Lee Arendse before Italy is fifteen. Just before returning to the locker room, Morné Van den Berg added a fourth test for Springboks.
South Africa has not forced its talent
This allowed them to reach the break with 25 points ahead. From the resumption, the players of Gonzalo Quesada showed another face and the third-line Manuel Zuliani went to flatten Italy’s first try in this meeting. In the process, Rassie Erasmis launched blood-strawberry with notably Bongi Mbonambi or Franco Mostert then Faf de Klerk and Kwagga Smith in a second step.
Also launched at that time, Vincent Koch went to Lady shortly before the time of play. The end of the match saw the Italians register two trials in the space of five minutes through Pablo Dimcheff then Nicolo Cannone. However, it was the South Africans who had the last word as the end of the match approaches.
Marco Van Staden allows Springboks to win 18 points (42-24). The two teams will meet again next weekend, this time on the lawn of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, which will be the last match of the Squadra Azzurra as part of this summer tour in the southern hemisphere.
