Boks take on Italy at Gqeberha
This Saturday the 12th of July will see the Springboks face Italy in the second test on their South African tour. The Boks won the first match convincingly for some but some supporters were not impressed by their performance. Italy pushed back in the second half with the score after the final whistle at 42-24 to the Bokke.
The Coach Rassie Erasmus has three uncapped players who will be starting the match. Ethan Hooker, Cobus Wiese as well as Asenathi Ntlabakanye will have their chance to show their potential. Furthermore Salmaan Moerat has been chosen as the Captain to lead the Springboks against Italy. Many pundits think that this might usher in a new era after Siya Kolisi. Mandela Bay Stadium last hosted a match in 2021. Therefore lets see how the boks take on Italy!
Willie’s 100th Test Match
This match will be a historic for full back Willie le Roux as he reaches his 100th test match. Willie who has two rugby world cups under his belt started his international career for the Boks against the Azzurri in 2013. Willie has become one of Mzansi’s most celebrated full backs. He has been playing for the Vodacom Bulls since 2023 but started his career at the Boland Cavaliers. He will bring depth to the squad with his experience against the Italians on Saturday.
The Bomb Squad vs Grenade Squad
The bomb squad failed to dazzle in the first match. They hardly made an impact to the final score. Coach Gonzalo Quesada of Italy knew that the squad will be deployed and was ready and waiting. Therefore his “grenade squad” was waiting to take them on!
Boks vs Italy teams
Both coaches have made lots of changes for this penultimate clash between the two teams. The Boks will face gli Azzurri for their third match on their European tour later in the year.
Azzurri Side for Saturday’s encounter
Forwards: Pietro Ceccarelli, Simone Ferrari, Danilo Fischetti, Muhamed Hasa, Mirco Spagnolo, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Pablo Dimcheff, Giacomo Nicotera, Matteo Canali, Niccolò Cannone, Riccardo Favretto, Andrea Zambonin, Lorenzo Cannone, Alessandro Izekor, Sebastian Negri, David Odiase, Ross Vintcent, Manuel Zuliani.
Backs: Alessandro Fusco, Alessandro Garbisi, Stephen Varney, Giacomo Da Re, Giovanni Montemauri, Giulio Bertaccini, Damiano Mazza, Tommaso Menoncello, Marco Zanon, Mirko Belloni, Simone Gesi, Louis Lynach, Paolo Odogwu, Jacopo Trulla.
Rassie’s Selection
Forwards: Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Salmaan Moerat (captain), Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit. 1Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Ox Nche, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Cobus Wiese, Evan Roos.
Backs: Willie le Roux, Edwill van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Manie Libbok, Grant William, Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker.
Upcoming Matches for the Springboks
South African rugby lovers can look forward to many more international fixtures for the Boks. Our national team started their season against the Barbarians on the 28th of June. This friendly also provided management with the opportunity to test combinations. The score at the end of the match was 54-7 for the Bokke. Georgia will be the last time that Rassie will be able to see which players he will choose for the upcoming Rugby Championship. The match will be played in Nelspruit on the 19th of July. We will also be kicking off our Rugby Championship against Australia on the 16th of August on Ellis Park.
Odds on the Boks vs Italy Match
Bookmakers favour the men in green and gold to win, but Italy has prepared well for what awaits in Saturday’s match. Bookies pretty much have the same odds on the match. One of our preferred bookies Hollywoodbets has Italy down by 15/1. See what our bookies are offering on the match below. Here’s to a great match between to two teams, kickoff is at 17.10.
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The U20 Rugby Championship is also currently underway and the Junior Boks are doing amazingly well! Banyana Banyana are also top performers in the WAFCON, and the Springboks are getting ready for the Rugby Championship with a few friendly matches.
