Fourteen-man Springboks overpower Italy while producing more tricks from the Rassie playbook

The Boks opened up a bag of new trick plays that showed innovation and provocation as they thumped an ill-disciplined Italy despite being reduced to 14 men after 22 minutes.

No 8 Jasper Wiese was shown the red card by referee Andrew Brace for a supposed headbutt on Italian loosehead Danilo Fischetti. Parents have delivered harder goodnight kisses to their children than Wiese’s alleged crime, but Brace took a stern view.

That was the low point for a new-look Bok team that saw 11 changes from the previous week, yet didn’t look at all disjointed during a polished first-half performance.

The Boks scored seven tries in total, some of them real gems from increasingly exciting attacking development, while keeping the Azzurri scoreless. There was a lot to like.

Most significantly, the effort and mentality was much better than at Loftus a week earlier. Considering that they were a man down for an hour, the workrate and desire of those on the field was markedly improved since seven days previously.

His second was one for the highlight reel. From a dominant scrum on halfway, the first with Ox Nché introduced from the bench in the 31st minute, Williams put Willie le Roux into a small hole.

Unsurprisingly the colossal Pieter-Steph du Toit was, well, colossal. Makazole Mapimpi worked his socks off, as did Malcolm Marx and Marco van Staden. Those experienced warhorses led from the front in terms of effort, and everyone followed.

Speed of delivery

Scrumhalf Grant Williams made a huge difference with his speed of delivery from the breakdown, as well as his searing pace with ball in hand.

His skills simply sped the Boks’ game up and it was fitting that he was first on the scoreboard in the ninth minute.

The Boks’ first try was a classy move where Williams, flyhalf Manie Libbok and wings Edwill van der Merwe and Mapimpi all played prominent roles in a sweeping 60-metre move.

New trial plays

The real theme of the night though was the Boks’ premiering some new trick plays, starting with the kick-off.

Libbok deliberately chipped the ball all of five metres, which Andre Esterhuizen collected, forcing referee Brace to award a scrum to Italy on the centre spot.

The Boks immediately got what they wanted – a scrum. It ended in a free kick to Italy for early engagement, but the tone and intentions were set.

Read more: Centurion Willie le Roux — the unsung hero who drove Rassie’s Bok revolution

Later coach Rassie Erasmus’ playbook came to life again with a midfield rolling maul – a variation on their 2019 World Cup final trick – with lock Ruan Nortjé jumping in the air so he couldn’t be tackled.

Both plays resulted in tries, in different ways. From the first maul centre Canan Moodie scored after a great pass by Williams. Moodie still had a lot of work to do, knocking off three defenders.

The second maul, after halftime, was more traditional in the sense that Nortjé took the ball inside the 22-metre area and the pack drove over with hooker Malcolm Marx finishing.

Marx has scored many maul tries in his career, but none from a maul constructed in this way, despite the familiar look to it.

It’s really an interesting tactic and one that is sure to have the Whatsapp group from World Rugby’s laws department working overtime about ways to stop it.

Whether Erasmus took the idea from Paul Roos High School in Stellenbosch is unclear, but a video of their third team pulling the move in a recent game against Durbanville has been doing the rounds.

Better mentality

While the Boks’ innovation and execution was excellent, and their response to Wiese’s red card was impressive, the second half for the most part, was a scrappy mess.

It didn’t help that Italy were appallingly disciplined, conceding nine second-half penalties, mostly for breakdown infringements. The visitors conceded a total of 16 penalties in the match.

The Boks also got on the wrong side of Brace in a disjointed second stanza, conceding six second-half penalties – three in the space of two minutes.

Prop Wilco Louw also earned a yellow card for accidental head contact while Italy couldn’t escape two yellow cards for Fischetti and flank David Odiase for repeated infringements.

Read more: Springboks seek referee feedback after breakdown mess at Loftus

But despite the stuttering second half, in which Italy’s lineout fell apart, losing seven of their own throws, the Boks’ good moments were really high quality.

Van der Merwe, playing his first Test in 13 months, scored a brace, his first a classic winger’s finish in the corner in the 16th minute.

His second was one for the highlight reel. From a dominant scrum on halfway, the first with Ox Nché introduced from the bench in the 31st minute, Williams put Willie le Roux into a small hole.

Le Roux, on the occasion of his 100th Test cap, chipped ahead, and a wicked bounce flummoxed Italian fullback Mirko Belloni. Van der Merwe hacked ahead and showed great composure to dot down.

He is a classy player with vision, pace and fighting spirit. But his aerial work needs improvement. In most areas he is an able replacement for Kurt-Lee Arendse, but he will need to have a better strike rate when it comes to challenging for contestable kicks.

Libbok ran the attack with style, and after missing his first two conversions, landed five for a haul of 10 points. He brings out the best in the Boks’ attack.

Moodie was excellent, while debutants Asenathi Ntlabakanye (prop), centre Ethan Hooker and lock Cobus Wiese all gave impressive cameos.

The Boks’ dominance was confirmed when Mapimpi scored late in the game.

Replacement hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels scored after the hooter to add more gloss to a dominant performance. The Boks move on to focus on Georgia and sterner challenges to come. DM

Scorers: 

South Africa – Tries: Grant Williams, Edwill van der Merwe (2), Canan Moodie, Malcolm Marx, Makazole Mapimpi, Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Conversions: Manie Libbok (4).