By Kevin Rademeyer, Sports Journalist.
South Africa arrived in Turin with a formidable collection of World Cup winners despite their own injury concerns, but assistant coach Mzwandile Stick insists Italy’s missing players will not make Saturday’s Test any less dangerous.
Rassie Erasmus has made his intentions clear. The Springboks are not travelling to Turin to ease themselves into the Nations Championship.
They have selected a side with 13 World Cup winners and more than 1,000 Test caps for Saturday’s encounter with Italy, a statement of intent as the race for a place in the final gathers momentum.
South Africa’s 23 carries a combined 1,043 caps, while the hosts are without 17 players, including captain Michele Lamaro and their influential centre pairing of Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex.
The Boks have their own significant absentees, among them Eben Etzebeth, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, André Esterhuizen, Handré Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe. The difference is what remains available to Erasmus.
Italy have made considerable progress under Gonzalo Quesada, who took charge in 2024 and has overseen landmark victories against Australia, Scotland and England. Erasmus was quick to praise his opposite number this week, recognising the work Quesada has done in building depth across the Italian squad.
But Saturday will test that progress. South Africa can call on a bench and wider touring group filled with international experience. Italy, by contrast, must find a way to compensate for the absence of several players who have been central to their recent rise.
Mzwandile Stick has no intention of allowing the injury list to dictate the Springboks’ approach. “Menoncello can’t play, which is a big loss for them, but it’s still a very, very good side,” the assistant coach said.
He identified Ange Capuozzo, who moves to the right wing for the match, as one of the hosts’ most dangerous attacking weapons. Monty Ioane and flyhalf Paolo Garbisi add further quality to an Italian backline that can punish defensive lapses.
“We know he’s world class, probably one of the best outside backs in the world,” Stick said of Capuozzo. “If you give him space and time, he’ll punish you. We’ve played against him many times and we understand his trends.”
The warning was unmistakable. “Even with their player losses, they’ve still got world-class players in the backline. It’s going to be a tough game … we can’t afford to give them time and space.”
The Boks have their own incentive beyond getting the tour under way with a victory. They currently hold a slender advantage over New Zealand at the top of the southern hemisphere standings, thanks to points difference.
Maintaining that position through the remaining rounds would secure their place in the Nations Championship final on 29 November.
A bonus point in Turin would strengthen their position, but Stick was emphatic that the team would not get ahead of itself. “You can’t be thinking about a bonus point before you’ve even got a win. If we get the lead and can go for the bonus point, we will, but first things first.”
The All Blacks’ results in the northern hemisphere are beyond South Africa’s control. New Zealand have travelled without 10 players who featured in the recent Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, including captain Ardie Savea and flyhalf Ruben Love. France and Ireland also face significant selection challenges ahead of their meetings with the Boks, with a number of leading players unavailable.
That makes South Africa’s depth a potentially decisive factor in the title race. Erasmus has options well beyond Saturday’s starting team, including World Cup winners Cobus Reinach, Canan Moodie, Franco Mostert and Marco van Staden, as well as Aphelele Fassi. Six uncapped players are also part of the touring group.
The question is how Erasmus chooses to use them. During last year’s European tour, he rotated his squad without compromising results. In the recent series against New Zealand, however, he took a different route, managing the minutes of key players rather than making wholesale changes.
Fourteen Springboks featured in all four Tests, and South Africa finished the series strongly with a 43-28 victory in Baltimore to secure a 3-1 result.
A similar approach may be required over the next three weeks, with France and Ireland still to come. There is also a case for exposing younger players to the demands of Test rugby in difficult away conditions, particularly with the next World Cup approaching. Getting that balance right could leave the Boks fresher for the decisive weekend.
Siya Kolisi, meanwhile, has welcomed the return of another experienced World Cup winner to South African rugby. Pieter-Steph du Toit is heading home after five seasons in Japan, joining a growing list of prominent Springboks returning to the domestic game.
Malcolm Marx and Kwagga Smith have signed with the Bulls, while Manie Libbok is set to join the Sharks in 2027-28. Kolbe has already returned to the Stormers.
“It just shows, home will always be home and there’s nothing better than home,” Kolisi said. “I’m glad that the guys are coming home, and I think the South African people, the way they’re welcoming them back, are too.”
Du Toit’s next destination has yet to be confirmed. Kolisi, who played alongside him at the Stormers and Western Province, was happy to speculate. “I’m not sure where Pietie is going – Cape Town, Boland,” he joked.
The Springbok captain also believes the return of established internationals will raise the standard of the United Rugby Championship, particularly when South African sides meet. “The SA derbies, that’s going to be tough. I don’t know how that’s going to go next year, because all the teams are getting stacked,” he said. “So ja, URC season is going to be on fire next year.”
For now, though, the focus is Turin. Italy have enough attacking quality to make the Boks pay for any looseness, and the home crowd will expect Quesada’s side to compete despite the absentees. South Africa have the depth and experience to impose themselves, but Stick’s message is the right one: win the Test first. The wider Nations Championship picture can wait.
Squads: (Saturday, 13:40 SA time)
Italy– 15 Mirko Belloni, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Paolo Odogwu, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Samuele Locatelli, 6 Alessandro Ortombina, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera (c), 1 Muhamed Hasa.
Bench: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Enoch Opoku Gyamfi, 20 Ross Vintcent, 21 Manuel Zuliani, 22 Stephen Varney, 23 Tommaso Allan.
Springboks – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Bench: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok.