The Springboks held off a powerful and resistant Italian side to win the first test match at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday, taking an early lead in the series.

The world champions secured the victory with tries from Jesse Kriel, Kurt-Lee Arendse, a brace by Morne van den Berg, Vincent Koch, and Marco van Staden. Four tries came in the dominant first half, with two more added in the second.

As anticipated, the Springboks took the game to Italy from the outset. Skipper Jesse Kriel finished off Damian de Allende’s grubber kick in the 10th minute, getting the world champions off to a flying start. Italy made things more difficult for themselves when Lorenzo Cannone was shown a yellow card in the 22nd minute. The Springboks immediately capitalized: after being stopped just meters from the try line, Morne van den Berg picked up from the base of the ruck to score.

The Springboks continued their dominance, with winger Kurt-Lee Arendse dissecting the Italian defense with brilliant skill to cross the whitewash for another try. Handré Pollard was clinical with his conversions for all these early tries, extending the lead.

Van den Berg then grabbed his second try just before halftime, with a sniping break from the back of a scrum as South Africa ran riot, leading 28-3 at the break. Italy’s only points in the first half came from Giacomo Da Re’s boot in the 27th minute after Sharks loose forward Vincent Tshituka was penalized.

Italy’s Second-Half Resurgence

Italy showed significant improvement in the second half, effectively disrupting the Boks’ power play. Their efforts were rewarded when Manuel Zuliani dotted down from close range five minutes after the restart. Scoring opportunities became scarce for the world champions, as Italy thwarted their attacks. However, Sharks front-rower Vincent Koch eventually crashed over for a powerful try, extending the score to 35-10.

Springbok coaches introduced veteran Willie le Roux for what was his 99th test match for South Africa, but Italy responded by stinging the hosts. The Italian pack laid a strong foundation, pinning the Boks in their half before powering over through Pablo Dimcheff for their second try. The visitors strung together more phases and threatened an unlikely comeback when Niccolo Cannone dove over between the posts in the 67th minute under pressure from Pollard. The try was awarded after a TMO review, despite appearing to be high, reducing the score to 35-24.

Boks Secure the Win

To quell Italy’s resurgence, the Springboks needed to extend their lead, and they duly did. Marco van Staden, playing at his home ground, benefited from the Boks’ incessant pressure, driving powerfully over in the 73rd minute to increase the score to 42-24. The try was celebrated not just by the players, but also by Sports Minister Gayton Mckenzie, who was in the stands.

Despite the scoreline, the Springboks appeared somewhat lightweight against the Azzurri’s power in the latter stages, as the visitors dominated the physical exchanges in search of more points. They continually entered the Boks’ territory, earning several penalties in the final third. Denied a try from these opportunities, they opted for a lineout with one minute remaining but still couldn’t convert. As penalties continued, they thought they had found a try, but an infringement allowed the Boks to hold on for a hard-fought win that, while inevitable early on, proved to be a challenging encounter.

The second test will take place next weekend at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.