The Springboks delivered a dominant performance at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, securing a 66-7 victory over Italy in the opening match of the Northern Series for the 2026 Nations Championship. The South African team, the reigning Rugby World Cup runners-up, established control early and never relinquished it, leaving the Italian side with a significant challenge to overcome in their upcoming tournament schedule.
South Africa’s commanding first half set the tone for the match, with the visitors leading 45-0 at the break. According to reports from Sportface, the Italian team, coached by Gonzalo Quesada, struggled to contain the relentless pressure applied by the world-class South African forwards and backline.
Springboks’ First-Half Dominance
The first 40 minutes belonged entirely to South Africa, who utilized their physical advantage in the maul and their speed in the wide channels to dismantle the Italian defense. Tries were scored by players including Mngomezulu, Van den Berg, and a double from Marx.
Italy’s Response and Final Score
Italy showed signs of life in the second half, managing to register their only points of the match. Federico Ruzza crossed the try line in the 62nd minute, a moment that provided some solace for the Azzurri and was successfully converted by Allan. However, South Africa quickly responded, adding three more tries through Louw, De Villiers, and a final score from Hooker as the clock expired to finalize the 66-7 scoreline. Sportface confirmed the Springboks scored nine tries in total, with Italy’s lone score coming from Ruzza’s effort.
Quesada’s Assessment of the Defeat
Following the heavy defeat, Italy’s head coach, acknowledged the quality of the opposition while pointing to areas for improvement for his team. Speaking to Sky Sport, as reported by Sportface, Quesada described South Africa’s first-half performance as “pazzesco, di altissimo livello” — “pazzy and of the highest level.”
The coach expressed his disappointment with unforced errors that hindered his side’s performance, particularly noting the difficulties the Italian forwards faced in the scrum and during driving mauls. While critical of the mistakes, Quesada also saw a glimmer of improvement in the second half. “In the second half, according to the technician, Italy managed to do a bit more,” the Sportface report stated.
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