Italy vs Springboks preview: Kick-off time, team news, prediction

The Springboks return to Nations Championship action against Italy this weekend (7 November).

Saturday’s clash takes place at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, during the tourney’s fourth round.

The match will be broadcast live on SuperSport, with a kick-off time of 13:40 South African time.

Nations Championship lead at stake

The Springboks are leading the Southern Hemisphere standings after three wins from three games.

According to the Nations Championship website, they are level on points with New Zealand.

Italy, meanwhile, are at the bottom of the Northern Hemisphere log.

They are on a run of three straight losses, with a points difference of -94.

After Italy, the Springboks face France on 13 November and Ireland on 21 November.

The Nations Championship wraps up with the finals weekend on 27-29 November in London.

Springbok team news

South Africa’s XV has been shaped by injuries to key players.

Cheslin Kolbe remains sidelined after breaking his jaw tackling New Zealand’s Luke Jacobson in September.

Eben Etzebeth suffered a lower-limb injury for the Sharks against the Stormers in October.

Andre Esterhuizen then injured his foot in Cardiff during the Sharks’ URC clash in Wales.

Handre Pollard is the latest player out, having hurt his hamstring during the Bulls vs Ulster clash in late October.

Meanwhile, coach Rassie Erasmus is also aiming to blood new talent.

Sebastian de Klerk, Luan Giliomee, Markus Muller, Riley Norton and Emmanuel Tshituka were included in the Nations Championship squad.

 Yaqeen Ahmed was also named initially, but may miss out due to a shoulder injury.

The full team to face Italy was confirmed on the South Africa Rugby website:

1 Ox Nche, 2 Malcolm Marx, 3 Thomas du Toit, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 5 Ruan Nortje, 6 Siya Kolisi, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Jasper Wiese, 9 Morne van den Berg, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 11 Ethan Hooker, 12 Damian de Allende, 13 Jesse Kriel, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 15 Damian Willemse.

Italy not to be underestimated

While the hosts are winless in the competition, coach Rassie is not taking them lightly.

He has named a team near full strength for a nation that has beaten the Springboks before.

That lone victory happened in Florence a decade earlier under coach Allister Coetzee.

Italy have mostly faced top-tier opposition in the Nations League so far.

They lost 10-27 to Japan in Round 1, before being annihilated 47-17 by the All Blacks.

Italy were also crushed by Australia 10-57 in Round 3.

Looking further back, they finished fourth in the Six Nations, with wins over Scotland and England.

Italy’s major concern is a growing number of injuries.

According to SuperSport, captain Michele Lamaro, centres Tommaso Menoncello and Ignacio Brex, and loose forward Sebastian Negri are out of action.

ITALY VS SPRINGBOKS Prediction

It’s hard to argue that the Springboks XV is fearsome against any level of opposition.

While some inclusions have been debated, it is a mostly seasoned pack of players.

Italy are capable of breaching the defences, but may be too focused on trying to keep South Africa back.

The home team is also on the back of brutal defeats by Southern Hemisphere giants.

Expect the Springboks to win by at least 30 points and keep their momentum rolling.

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