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Despite a first-half red card for number 8 Jasper Wiese, a fired-up South Africa comprehensively defeated Italy 45-0 in Gqeberha on Saturday, securing a 2-0 Test series victory.
The match, characterised by numerous penalties, also saw one Springbok and two Italian players receive yellow cards.
Wiese was sent off after just 22 minutes for a headbutt on Italian prop Danilo Fischetti. The chaos continued into the second half, with South African prop Wilco Louw receiving a yellow card, briefly reducing the Springboks to 13 players against Italy’s 15.
Fischetti followed Louw to the sin bin shortly after, and replacement loose forward David Odiase was also yellow-carded late in the game.
Le Roux’s Milestone and Debutants Shine Amidst Mayhem
Amidst the disciplinary issues, veteran fullback Willie le Roux achieved his 100th Springbok cap, receiving a thunderous ovation when substituted in the second half.
The match also saw three players make their Test debuts off the bench: back Ethan Hooker and forwards Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Cobus Wiese (Jasper’s brother), in what became an increasingly scrappy second half.
The South African side, featuring 11 changes from their mixed performance in the first Test, delighted a capacity crowd of 44,282 by scoring seven tries.
Winger Edwill van der Merwe, recalled after a 13-month absence, scored two tries in the first half, alongside tries from scrum-half Grant Williams and centre Canan Moodie. Fly-half Manie Libbok converted two tries after missing his first two attempts, giving South Africa a commanding 24-0 lead at halftime.
Second-Half Domination and Future Fixture
The record four-time Rugby World Cup winners added three more tries in the second half through hooker Malcolm Marx, winger Makazole Mapimpi, and replacement hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Libbok converted all three, bringing his tally to 10 points, showcasing an impressive mix of kicking and running in the electric atmosphere.
Italy, with only five starters from their narrow Six Nations loss to Ireland in March, rarely threatened the scoreline and conceded numerous penalties.
The Springboks will next face Georgia in a one-off Test in Mbombela next Saturday.
