Italy vs South Africa | Saturday, 15 November | Allianz Stadium
The Azzurri or perhaps more fittingly, the “Auszurri” kicked off their end-of-year campaign in fine style, defeating a beleaguered but much-improved Australian outfit 26–19.
Two players of Australian heritage, Monty Ioane and Louis Lynagh, played starring roles, each crossing the whitewash to secure a famous win for Italy.
Their visitors on Saturday also head into this clash on the back of an impressive result, having overcome a red card to dispatch France 32–17. That marked the Springboks’ ninth victory of the year and came just a week after they dismantled Japan 61–7 in London.
The two sides have already met twice this year, with South Africa recording dominant wins 42–24 and 45–0 during Italy’s midyear tour. In fact, it’s been quite some time since the Italians seriously challenged the ‘Boks; South Africa have won four of the last five encounters by margins of 29 points or more.
Early team news suggests the visitors will be without Lood de Jager, who was sent off in Paris for a shoulder charge. Reports from the Springbok camp hint at further changes, with Handré Pollard pushing for a recall and Rassie Erasmus considering an experimental midfield partnership of Canan Moodie and Ethan Hooker.
Italy, meanwhile, appear to have a relatively clean bill of health, with no fresh injury concerns emerging this week.
Verdict: South Africa (-)
Expect a spirited start from the hosts, but they’re likely to fade as the game wears on. The ‘Boks should cover the handicap comfortably, though a small flutter on Italy to win the race to ten points could offer early value the Azzurri may well come out firing.