It’s not too often that a team wants revenge for a victory. But for South Africa’s national rugby side, the Springboks, that’s exactly what they’ll be hoping for when they take on Italy at home on Saturday.
The Springboks took the first game of their series 29-13, a result far, far closer than many people expected in a match where the no.11 ranked Italians had to travel all the way to South Africa to take on the no. 2 Springboks. Not only that, but Italy actually outscored South Africa 10-7 in the second half, showing they could compete with the rugby powerhouse.
After the first match, Italy’s coach Nick Mallett, who used to be a Springbok, said he was very happy with the result.
"Finishing within 20 points of the Springboks away from home is the best result Italy's ever had and I'm very proud of that," Mallett told Reuters. As a result, he’s expecting the South Africans to come out and try to run roughshod over his Italian squad. "By their standards I don't think they performed as well as they would have liked and as a result tomorrow is going to be a much tougher game for the Italians."
South Africa looking for blood
The Springboks will be looking to play stronger, and coach Peter de Villiers is fielding his best possible line-up, making seven changes from the line-up that first played against the Italians last week.
The first match they were unable to move the ball as effectively as they would have liked, although they managed to control the ball for the majority of the match. The starting 15 South Africa will be putting out has a total of 545 caps between them, showing the incredible international experience the team brings to the field.
Gio Aplon, a rookie, will get his start at the full-back position. The position has been arguably the weakest place in the line-up of the green and gold, and de Villiers has failed to find a firm starter for the position. Flank Schalk Burger will be in the lineup after missing the first test against Italy, and Captain John Smit will be leading his team out onto the pitch.
South Africa is coming off of three straight victories, including a rough match against France and a comeback against a tough Welsh side, and will be looking to prep their team for a tour in Asia and Australia, which they will kick off by facing the New Zealand All-Blacks. With a match against the no.1 looming, South Africa will want to make a statement and bring their team together.
Italy wants repeat performance
All the pressure is off Italy on in the second match. They’ve already exceeded expectations with their first performance on South African soil. Mallett has overhauled his side for the next game, as he says he’s hoping to give the most amount of his players the chance to play. He’s changed most of his starters, in an attempt to put in fresh bodies against what its expected to be a punishing assault from the South Africans.
Mallett’s strategy of giving the most amount of players international experience is part of his greater attempts to build rugby in the long-term in Italy. Mallett has said he is completely committed to building the fan base and playing base in Italy, and a victory or even a solid performance like the first test would help him do that.
As the Italians, after their national soccer team’s crushing disappointment at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, they’ll have a chance to redeem some of their nation’s sporting honour with a victory.
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