Italy v South Africa - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: With South Africa halfway through their Nations Series tour and with two strong wins under their belt, they now come up against Italy at the Allianz Stadium in Turin in only the second rugby match ever to be hosted at the home of football giants Juventus.

Italy’s home advantage provides them with a platform to challenge the Springboks – especially after proving their worth against the Wallabies in Udine last weekend.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is utilising all his squad members, and some of them get their first taste of game time against Italy.

With the loss of Lood de Jager following his red card against France last weekend, the options at lock have diminished, prompting Erasmus to select Jean Kleyn and Franco Mostert as the second row pairing for this clash.

The last time these two both took the field for the Springboks was in the World Cup Final in Paris. Mostert started the match, and Kleyn came on as a replacement (around the 58th minute) in South Africa’s 12–11 win over New Zealand.

Ben-Jason Dixon gets another shot at international level after seemingly falling out of favour after the four Tests he played last year. His last outing for the Springboks was more than a year ago in the Rugby Championship against Argentina in Santiago.

Johan Grobbelaar starts at No.2, and with no hooker on the bench, Marco van Staden, included at No.8, will move to the front row later in the game, which is why Kwagga Smith is included on the bench.

This means Van Staden will have to put in a full 80 minutes, seeing out the game at hooker.

Erasmus has opted for a 6-2 split on the bench with Grant Williams and Manie Libbok the backs, and Andre Esterhuizen being the hybrid inclusion.

“I won’t say this is the strongest Italian side ever, but it’s certainly one of the strongest in a couple of years. For the first time in a while, we have fewer caps on average than our opposition.

“Yes, we have a few younger guys and we’re away from home against Italy, but we’ve prepared as well as we can.

“They have several game-breakers, they’re playing good rugby, and are coming off a strong win. Both teams will have to reach that emotional peak and maintain it again this coming weekend.”

Erasmus also wants youngsters like Dixon, Zachary Porthen, and Ethan Hooker to experience a pressure-cooker Test, which is why he surrounded them with players like Handre Pollard, Siya Kolisi, and Franco Mostert.

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The Azzurri, under the guidance of head coach Gonzalo Quesada, have shown commendable progress in recent years, securing notable victories over Scotland and Wales during the Six Nations before delivering back-to-back hammer blow wins against the Wallabies last weekend.

However, they face a formidable challenge against the Springboks, who are fresh from a hard-fought Rugby Championship defence, an outstanding victory against France on Saturday, and are eager to continue their dominance on Northern Hemisphere soil.

Italy demonstrated the ambition with which fans have come to expect. The squad, featuring a blend of seasoned internationals and emerging talents, is poised to test its mettle against one of the world’s top teams.

This will only be the second rugby match ever to be played at the home of the Juventus football team, one year after the match against the All Blacks.

Historically, the Springboks have statistics in their favour for this one, winning 18-1, with Italy’s only victory coming nine years ago with a 20-18 result on November 19, 2016.

Their last encounter was in the second Test in July this year in South Africa when the Springboks handed the visiting Azzurri a 45-0 shutout at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.

After their win against Australia last weekend and their desire to avenge the loss to the Springboks in July, Italy has a chance to prove a point this weekend if they can escape with a win.

In an interview earlier this week, Ethan Hooker said Italy will be a great challenge for them after beating the Wallabies: “They’ll take huge confidence from last week because the Wallabies are a quality team. They’ll definitely take the things they learned from that game and try to use it against us as well.”

The temple of Juventus

The temple of Juventus, the Allianz Stadium, is one of the most advanced stadiums in the world. With a seating capacity of 41,507, this stadium holds several important records: the first facility owned by a sports club (Juventus Football Club); the first environmentally friendly facility in the world and the first Italian football facility without architectural barriers.

Italy has won five of their last eight matches in the Nations Series, as many as in their previous 23 end-of-year Tests combined, with each of their last two victories having come in games in which they trailed at half-time.

Italy has won two of their last four home games against sides from the Rugby Championship, this after winning just three of their previous 36 games against those four nations combined.

South Africa has won each of their last eight matches away to European sides, their longest such run since a 14-game streak between 1994 and 1998, which included two wins on Italian soil.

Players to watch:

For Italy: Key players like No.8 Niccolò Cannone and flanker Ross Vintcent will be pivotal in leading Italy’s forward pack. The backs, including the dynamic likes of Ange Capuozzo and Tommaso Menoncello, must aim to exploit any opportunities presented by the Springboks’ defence. Italy’s backs, including the elusive Louis Lynagh, will look to exploit any gaps in the Springboks’ defensive line.

For South Africa: The game is won and lost up front, and this is where the pack will have to insert dominance from the start. The line-outs are also key, and with Jean Klein and RG Snyman having not played together in a while, it will be key for hooker Johan Grobbelaar to get his throw-ins on point. South Africa’s back three, Damian Willemse, Edwill van der Merwe, and Kurt-Lee Arendse, are all devastating finishers who will no doubt get on the scoreboard at some stage of the game.

Prediction:

Rugby365: South Africa by 20 points

Teams:

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.

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.

Date: Saturday, November 15
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin
Kick-off: 13.40 (14.40 SAST; 12.40 GMT)
Expected weather: There will be some drizzle and light winds with a temperature around 14°C
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Jérémy Rozier (France)
TMO: Tual Trainini (France)