Springboks v Italy: Winners and losers as Rassie finally finds his nine and Italy drop their own ‘bomb squad

The Springboks swatted aside an underwhelming Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, as the world champions took victory in the opening match of their summer tests.

Here are the winners and losers from the Test.

Winners

Jesse Kriel

Captaining the Springboks for the first time was sure to be an unnerving experience, but Kriel’s day got off to the perfect start when he charged over in front of the posts early in the first half to set the tone for the rest of the match.

Although it wasn’t a spectacular performance from the outside centre, he did the basics well and led the defence with a work rate that others could follow, displaying the exact qualities required from a first-class captain.

Morne van den Berg

Since the prime era of Faf de Klerk, the Springboks have not been able to nail down a permanent number nine. Many promising scrum-halves have come and gone as the world champions demand only the very best in the position.

It was the turn of Lions star Morne van den Berg to try on the cursed playmaker shirt, and he left many wondering how he’d been overlooked for so long. The 27-year-old controlled proceedings with an innate sense of how the game was going. Whizzing through the Azzurri defence, he got on the scoresheet twice, displaying his impressive pace and try-scoring ability. He was removed at 54 minutes, with his team quite clearly struggling without him.

Damian Willemse

The elegant full-back always looks as though he’s gliding through the air with ball in hand and today was no different. Returning to the Springboks side for the first time since the 2023 World Cup final, he topped the charts for running metres and defenders beaten.

Breaking the heels of eight would-be tacklers, double that of his nearest teammate, his 14 carries were instrumental in ensuring that his side were able to break the Italian defensive line and take an early and unassailable lead.

Italian ‘Bomb Squad’

The first-half performance was one the Italians will likely want to forget, but the second half will have given Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada a lot to be pleased about. The effort from the Italian replacements will provide fans with much hope.

The arrival of six new forwards from the bench proved to be a turning point in the match as the growing Six Nations team put the Springboks’ ‘Bomb Squad’ to the sword, returning fire to make the final scoreline much more respectable.

Manuel Zuliani

For much of the first half, it felt as though Manuel Zuliani was the only cog holding the entire Italian machine together. Every tackle that was made appeared to have Zuliani’s arms wrapped around it, every ruck had a Zuliani sock connected to it, and every Italian carry was somehow Zuliani’s doing.

The Benetton flanker was instrumental in ensuring that the young Italian squad was able to cling on to the game, even during the first half when things looked like they could get ugly. At just 25 years old, Zuliani could eventually become a legendary name in Italian rugby.

Losers

Bomb Squad

With almost legendary status in South Africa, you would be excused for thinking that the Springbok ‘Bomb Squad’ were almost omnipotent, striking fear into every opposition when they arrive on the field.

The reputation that comes before them failed to materialise on Saturday, however. The giant forwards stuttered and wheezed as the reignited Italian replacement pack gained a notable advantage over their Springbok rivals.

Italy’s starters

It feels a little mean to undermine the effort that this young Italian team put in against the world champions, but they were taught a valuable lesson in the physicality required to win a Test match.

For just over a half of rugby, it was all South Africa, with the Azzurri unable to get a foothold in the game. The straight-running style of the hosts was simple but powerfully effective against a group of young and inexperienced players simply not used to competing with such talented stars. They will improve and become more battle-hardened as time goes on, but it was time for a lesson.

Niccolò Cannone

It was always going to be a difficult day at the office for the visitors, but Cannone’s yellow card early into the match made their difficult day that much harder. Italy conceded 14 points during the lock’s time off the field as the Springboks pulled away. The 27-year-old will look to work on his discipline heading into next week’s rematch with the world champions.