men’s
nations-championship
South Africa preserved their flawless Nations Championship streak with an overwhelming 66-7 rout of a depleted Italy in Turin, essentially sealing the match before half-time.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu initiated the scoring with an early penalty before slicing through the defense from 40 meters out for the first of the nine Springbok tries, establishing a remarkable tone for the first half.
Morne van den Berg barreled over from close range, followed by Malcolm Marx scoring from a driving maul. Siya Kolisi added to the tally after Feinberg-Mngomezulu executed a 50:22, and Damian Willemse capped off a Jasper Wiese break beneath the posts.
Italy’s struggles worsened when Muhamed Hasa received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, allowing Marx to capture his second try from another maul, propelling South Africa to a commanding 45-0 lead at halftime.
Rassie Erasmus introduced his Bomb Squad early in the second half, with Wilco Louw bursting through three tackles shortly after the restart for South Africa’s seventh try, despite Italy showing improvement as the visiting side’s intensity waned.
Federico Ruzza concluded a well-executed attack in the corner for Italy’s singular score, but the Springboks ultimately regained their dominance.
Paul de Villiers added a try from another maul, followed by Ethan Hooker crashing over with a deserved try in the final moments of the match.
The win leaves South Africa with a perfect 20 points from 20 in the Southern Hemisphere standings of the Nations Championship and, notably, an 89-point lead over New Zealand on the points difference.
The All Blacks stand second with 15 points ahead of their encounter with Scotland at Murrayfield, needing to make up ground following South Africa’s relentless performance in Turin.
For Erasmus, it signified a powerful message from a team that has attained maximum points in every round and continues to set the pace.
France and Ireland lie ahead for the world champions, where they are expected to encounter much tougher challenges.
