South African rugby stars demolished Italy with a crushing 45-point shutout victory that sealed their series triumph in Gqeberha. The Springboks steamrolled their European opponents despite playing a man down for most of the match. Jasper Wiese earned himself an early shower when he planted his head into Italian prop Danilo Fischetti just 22 minutes into the contest. The red card decision sparked a penalty fest that saw multiple players marched to the sin bin throughout the afternoon. A capacity crowd of 44,282 fans witnessed the one-sided affair at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Willie le Roux reached a milestone century of international appearances during the rout. The veteran fullback received thunderous applause when coaches pulled him from the field midway through the second period. Three rookies made their debuts off the bench as the match descended into chaos with yellow cards flying everywhere. Edwill van der Merwe grabbed a brace of tries after returning from 13 months on the sidelines. The winger helped guide his team to a commanding 24-point halftime advantage.
Seven different try scorers powered the Springboks to their emphatic triumph over the Italians. Manie Libbok struggled early with his boot but found his range to convert five attempts and add 10 points to the total. The record world champions will face Georgia next weekend in Mbombela for their upcoming fixture.
Willie le Roux reached a milestone century of international appearances during the rout. The veteran fullback received thunderous applause when coaches pulled him from the field midway through the second period. Three rookies made their debuts off the bench as the match descended into chaos with yellow cards flying everywhere. Edwill van der Merwe grabbed a brace of tries after returning from 13 months on the sidelines. The winger helped guide his team to a commanding 24-point halftime advantage.
Seven different try scorers powered the Springboks to their emphatic triumph over the Italians. Manie Libbok struggled early with his boot but found his range to convert five attempts and add 10 points to the total. The record world champions will face Georgia next weekend in Mbombela for their upcoming fixture.
