Annihilation and innovation: Why Turin blowout bodes well for Boks

OPINION: Rassie Erasmus used the Test in Turin to lay down a marker and experiment with the coming clashes against France and Ireland in mind.

The Boks thrashed Italy 66-7 in Turin on Saturday to strengthen their position at the top of the Nations Championship southern conference and send their next set of opponents a message.

While a bonus-point victory was expected against a depleted Italy outfit, few could have predicted such a one-sided result.

Erasmus’ Boks have developed a habit of accelerating at the back end of matches and piling on the points.

Last November in Cardiff, they scored 45 unanswered points in the second half to complete a 73-0 annihilation of Wales.

This past Saturday, Erasmus’ charges unleashed the fury from the outset, scoring 45 points in the first stanza.

It was the Boks’ most dominant first-half performance since they put 47 points on Canada at the 2019 World Cup. Incidentally, the Boks went on to win that clash in Kobe 66-7.

The maul was brutally efficient, while the kick-chase execution was equally impressive.

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Halfbacks Morné van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had a day to remember – with the latter scoring 26 points and producing a flawless goal-kicking performance.

As was the case in 2019, the relative strength and quality of the opposition must be acknowledged.

Italy were unforgivably poor for large parts of Saturday’s contest – although they were missing around 17 players.

All that said, the 66-7 scoreline will have come as a surprise to all and sundry.

Erasmus made a statement when he selected his strongest available team for the first tour clash in Turin – as opposed to fielding a more experimental combination and saving his best players for more challenging matches against France in Paris and Ireland in Dublin.

Indeed, there were a few moments during the first half of Saturday when I wondered if the Boks could have banked the bonus point as well as a substantial winning margin without adopting this ‘Full Metal Jacket’ selection policy.

The Boks were at their most ruthless during that period, and it was clear that Italy had no answer to their relentless maul and kick-chase approach.

At the same time, it seemed as if Erasmus had missed an opportunity to field a host of less experienced players in what was always going to be the least challenging fixture of the four-Test tour to the north.

My view of the game and Erasmus’ selections changed, however, as the game progressed. Taking everything into account, South Africa ticked all the boxes and made the most of the chance in Turin.

Erasmus used the fixture to bring 10 Japan-based players up to speed before the showdowns with France and Ireland.

Italy provided little resistance to the maul and eventually relented at the scrum, and the Bok forwards took the chance to build some momentum before the matches in Paris and Dublin.

Ethan Hooker and Kurt-Lee Arendse won every contestable kick, while Van den Berg and Feinberg-Mngomezulu took some outstanding decisions on attack.

The players will head into the next clash against France on Friday with confidence – although they will know that Les Bleus will be tougher to topple in their own backyard.

Erasmus’ management of the squad was always going to be a talking point of a tour of this nature.

And this past Saturday in Turin, the coach moved to protect some of his senior players following the first-half blowout, before experimenting with a new backline combination.

Siya Kolisi, Ruan Nortjé, and Pieter-Steph du Toit were the only forwards who played more than 45 minutes.

Kolisi would have played fewer than 56, if not for Paul de Villiers leaving the field for an HIA in the second stanza.

Apart from Salmaan Moerat’s injury in the warm-up and a couple of HIAs, the Boks navigated the game without any major disruptions.

Hooker was always going to slot in at No.12 at some point on this tour, and made the most of his midfield cameo in the second stanza in Turin.

By the end of the match, the Boks backline featured Van den Berg and Manie Libbok in the halfbacks, Hooker and Kriel in the centres, and Grant Williams, Arendse and Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the back three.

Erasmus will take a lot out of that second half, and may have enjoyed the fact that the Boks didn’t have everything their own way during that period.

Italy put the new combination under pressure and forced the Boks to problem-solve – and the visitors eventually won the second half 21-7.

That 10-15 axis is nothing new, and enjoyed plenty of success in 2025 when Libbok was deployed from the bench, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu was moved to fullback.

Nevertheless, it was good to see that variation in the first match of the tour.

The decision to replace Damian Willemse late in the game – and field two scrumhalves – was also particularly interesting.

Erasmus could have given Williams an extended run at No.9 and saved Van den Berg for the coming matches, yet opted to experiment with the former on the wing.

While we’ve seen Williams deployed on the wing before, one wonders if it’s a sign of things to come on this tour.

Perhaps Erasmus is preparing to unleash a seven-one split in Paris or Dublin. The Bok coach has used this bench strategy sparingly over the past four seasons.

But with so many versatile players in the current squad and with Williams’ ability to cover scrumhalf and wing, he may well use it against France or Ireland.

And as Erasmus has explained in the past, the use of a six-two or seven-one bench can ease the load on the forwards over a period of matches.

While they will be focused on the two league matches that remain, the Boks need to ensure that they progress to a potential Nations Championship final on 29 November with sufficient petrol in the tank.

It shouldn’t be long before Erasmus reveals his selections for the next clash, and in spite of the six-day turnaround, the forwards should be relatively fresh and ready for the challenge at the Stade de France.

Erasmus will have been encouraged by what he saw from the backs in Turin – in terms of versatility and adaptability – and may be more inclined to favour a forward-heavy bench in the coming clashes.

At the very least, Erasmus’ recent management of the Boks will keep France and Ireland guessing.