South Africa W v Italy W - Teams and Prediction
PREVIEW: One simply cannot deny the magnitude of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Round Two match between South Africa and Italy on Sunday.
Both teams have had rigorous preparations for this encounter, and the stakes couldn’t be higher: the winner edges closer to securing a quarterfinal berth.
For Italy, it’s a case of justifying why they could be regarded as one of the powerhouses in the women’s game.
Fabio Roselli’s team opened their World Cup campaign with a 0-24 defeat to France and will be desperate to secure a win over the Springbok Women.
At the previous World Cup in 2022, held in New Zealand, Italy concluded the tournament in fifth position, making them no strangers to the play-off phase and certainly favourites for the upcoming encounters.
They also have a good record over the Springboks, beating them twice – 36-18 in WXV 2 (2023) and 23-19 in WXV 2 (2024) — in recent years.
For the underdogs, South Africa, this is one massive game. A win could see them book a spot in the quarterfinals for the first time in history.
In the previous tournament, the side failed to secure a single win but have shown significant improvement.
They secured a historic 66-6 win over Brazil, handing them the belief that they can claim more victories.
To add more pressure to the occasion, a win could see South Africa enter the top 10 for the first time, while a win by more than 15 points would make them the higher-ranked of the two nations for the first time.
A draw would be enough for the Springbok Women to climb above a beaten Japan into 11th place.
Italy No.9 Joins Centurion Club
Scrumhalf Sofia Stefan will make her 100th appearance for Italy.
The No.9 will become only the third woman to do so, joining players such as Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni from the men’s game.
Roselli made two changes to the starting line-up. Beatrice Veronese replaces Alissa Ranuccini at openside flanker, and Beatrice Rigoni comes in for Sara Mannini at inside centre.
The coach said selecting the team was challenging:
“It is a tough moment for the coach, for players, because you make some happy and some not so happy, but it’s part of the job.”
He added: “The team are clear on how we can build more pressure on them [South Africa].
“At the same time, we are very aware of their strength, their power. It will be another tough match, and obviously also the emotion and tension – because there will be two teams that have to win.
“It’s an important game, but how we manage emotion can make a difference.”
On Stefan winning her 100th cap, the mentor said: “Not just me, but all the Italian team, all the people around Italy, are very proud of Sofia.
“There will be a lot of energy that we need to manage in the right way, because the team needs to have a big performance – but all players, all staff, are working in a good direction to try to help Sofia manage her emotions.”
Spotlight on maul
Springbok head coach Swys de Bruin has tweaked his backline, with Nadine Roos starting at fullback and Unam Tose taking her place at scrumhalf.
At inside centre, Chumisa Qawe will make her first appearance of World Cup 2025, while Eloise Webb will do likewise from the bench.
Byrhandré Dolf, who started at fullback, moves to the right wing in place of Maceala Samboya. The forward pack remains unchanged.
De Bruin stated he expected a much better performance from Italy than they delivered against France.
“It was a bit misleading. To get no points on the scoreboard against France – you’re going to get much more from Italy in the next game.
“Maybe they are targeting us and Brazil and don’t target France so much.”
Commenting on the possibility of breaking into the top 10, De Bruin said: “The first aim was to win a game at the World Cup – we couldn’t do it in the last one – so we won a game.
“The second thing is, let’s see if we can get top 10. Once you’re top 10, you’re not seen as a minor.
“We know in the back of our minds that it will be fantastic if we can achieve it. But if you focus too much on the outcome, and forget about the process, you might not get there.”
When asked what does he expect from the Italians, coach De Bruin stated: “Fast, quick, never go away.
“They have a much better maul than everyone is thinking.
“They maul well and have the best maul metres so far in the tournament.
“So they’re not just a backline fast team – they play a nice brand of rugby.”
Prediction:
Rugby365: The odds are stacked against South Africa, however, we go for the Springboks by five points.
Teams:
South Africa: 15 Nadine Roos, 14 Byrhandré Dolf, 13 Zintle Mpupha, 12 Chumisa Qawe, 11 Ayanda Malinga, 10 Libbie Janse van Rensburg, 9 Unam Tose, 8 Aseza Hele, 7 Sinazo Mcatshulwa, 6 Sizophila Solontsi, 5 Danelle Lochner, 4 Nolusindiso Booi (captain), 3 Babalwa Latsha, 2 Lindelwa Gwala, 1 Sanelisiwe Charlie
Replacements: 16 Micke Gunter, 17 Yonela Ngxingolo, 18 Nombuyekezo Mdliki, 19 Vainah Ubisi, 20 Lerato Makua, 21 Catha Jacobs, 22 Eloise Webb, 23 Aphiwe Ngwevu
Italy: 15 Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi, 14 Aura Muzzo, 13 Michela Sillari, 12 Beatrice Rigoni, 11 Alyssa D’Inca, 10 Emma Stevanin, 9 Sofia Stefan, 8 Elisa Giordana Duca, 7 Beatrice Veronese, 6 Francesca Sgorbini, 5 Giordana Duca, 4 Sara Tounesi, 3 Sara Seye, 2 Vittoria Veccheni, 1 Silvia Turani.
Replacements: 16 Layra Gurioli, 17 Emanuela Stecca, 18 Gaia Maris, 19 Valeria Fedrighi, 20 Alissa Ranuccini, 21 Alia Bitonci, 22 Sara Mannini, 23 Francesca Granzotto.
Date: Sunday, August 31
Venue: York Community Stadium, York
Kick-off: 16.30 (15.30 England time, 14.30 GMT)
Referee: Ella Goldsmith (RA)
Assistant Referees: Precious Pazani (ZRU), Maria Heitor (FPR)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (SRU)
