South Africa The Springboks continued their unbeaten start Nations Championship with 66-7 rounds of the fourth demolition Italy
This was always going to be a daunting task for an Italian side decimated by injuries, especially as Rassie Erasmus called it close to full strength.
And so it proved, with the Boks enjoying one-way traffic from the first minute, with the full-backs hardly having to join.
Honestly, it was one of, if not the most dominant first half performance between two top tier nations of the professional era.
With a 45-0 lead at the break, Erasmus had the freedom to do as he pleased in the second half, exposing the Bombers before the 45 minutes were up. A combination of South Africa taking their foot off the pedal and Italy stepping up their game made the second half more competitive, but the damage was already done. Here’s how the players rated it:
Takva je bila dominacija napadača u meču, Willemse je imao prilično miran početak meča. Ali bio je pronicljiv da podrži brejk Jaspera Wiesea kako bi bez suprotstavljanja utrčao u peti pokušaj Boksa. Nedugo zatim, dodavanje Kurt-Leeja Arendsea u pokušaju da postigne gol, otišlo je italijanskom glavom i odbacio pokušaj – nije greška, ali ovo je bilo tako lako za Južnu Afriku da smo morali da se petljamo da pronađemo bilo kakve probleme. Zakucao je visoku loptu nakon prekida, jer se činilo da su se Boksi lagano opustili, a njihove greške su se povećavale. Still, put together as always.
14 Kurt-Lee Arendse – 7
He didn’t see a huge amount of action, but he did everything right when he was needed – competing in the air and beating defenders when he had the chance. He tapped the ball home when linking up with Siya Kolisi early in the second half as the Boks stuttered slightly after the break.
The first glimmer of positivity for Italy – Ange Capuozzi striding and beating several players – was quickly snuffed out by Kriel, who won a penalty over the ball. He made a quick run in the second half, which provided the platform for Wilco Louw to score.
12 Damian de Allende – 7
He often found himself on the receiving end of initial kicks and getting into the heart of the Italian defense. He didn’t get much return on his carry, but was still key to the Boks creating momentum, as he always is.
Unstoppable in the air as ever, a bonus for Italy if they were able to gain possession after South Africa’s box kick. Moved into midfield in the second half, where he saw more of the ball and got a deserved try at the death, powering through a beleaguered defence.
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 8.5
9 Morne van den Berg – 8
He kept his distance in the fight and the Azzurri pack withstood his pressure. Izvedena su dva slobodna udarca iz scrum-a, jedan za Južnu Afriku i jedan za Italiju, ali bez jedanaesteraca u prvom poluvremenu. He was then penalized early in the second half for not driving straight – the first penalty of the match. To je možda velika ironija takmičenja – jedina oblast u kojoj svetski prvaci nisu masakrirali Italiju bila je scrum, tipično njihova najveća snaga. Removed after 45 minutes.
Like Nche, he was unable to overcome the Italian scrum, and was part of a pack that was driven back early in the second half. Very calm in the loose, failed to land a carry and made just two tackles in his 45-minute spell.
4 Lood de Jager – 7
A late replacement in the team, he comes in for Salmaan Moerat. He was pinged early on for “kneeling”, which the referees will now be harsher on. He produced the drop that set the stage for the Boks’ fifth try. He got his hands on the ball during his 45-minute spell.
He scored South Africa’s fourth try while being carried in a driving show where he barely had to drive himself. In many ways, that summed up his match, where he wasn’t asked to do much in his 45-minute cameo, even though he had to go back on the clock.
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit – 7
He quietly went about his business, but like Nortje, this was a game that didn’t cry out for his ruthlessness. Njegov odbrambeni intenzitet sigurno nije bio potreban jer se od Boksa retko tražilo da se mnogo hvataju u koštac, ali on je i dalje bio na vrhu liste obračuna za Bokse sa 13 obračuna.
Probio je liniju Italije nakon 25 minuta na vrlo ne-Wiese način – bacanjem lutke, trčanjem u luku da bi se provukao kroz prazninu prije nego što je napravio dodavanje iznutra za Willemsea za gol. Trebalo je do posljednje utakmice prvog poluvremena da Italija uđe u južnoafričku 22, a Wiese je brzo stavio tačku na to, snažno pogodivši slom, a zatim iznudivši udarac Alessandra Fuscoa. Made it just five minutes after the break.
January 16-Hendrik Wessels – 6
17 Gerhard Steenekamp – 8
18 Wilco Low – 8
Cut into the second row flawlessly and immediately added authority on the line.
20 Cameron Hanekom – 7
Another lively cameo from the back rower. Carried with real intent against a tiring defense and brought plenty of pace and aggression to South Africa’s loose game.
21 Paul de Villiers – 7.5
He managed just 15 minutes before being taken off with a head injury, then returned for the final 10 minutes, scoring within seconds of another unstoppable strike.
He picked up the pace as soon as he arrived, moving the ball quickly before Erasmus moved him to the wing, where he was unable to make a noticeable shot.