Springboks redeem themselves in Gqeberha to wrap two-Test series in against Italy

IOL News

2 days ago

Springbok winger and Player of the Match Edwill van der Merwe dives over in the corner for one of his two tries against Italy on Saturday in Gqeberha.
Image: BackpagePix
Doctor Rassie Erasmus and his Springboks pulled out all the stops to entertain the crowd in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium as they romped to a thrilling 45-0 victory over Italy in the second Test in Gqeberha.
The seven-try win emphatically seals the two-Test series, and it opens the door for Erasmus to experiment even further against Georgia in Nelspruit in the final mid-year match this coming Saturday.
Not even the 21st-minute red card to eighth man Jasper Wiese for a headbutt could spoil the enterprising play the world champions dished up in front of a capacity crowd.
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The action started at the kick-off already, where a pre-worked-out short kick from flyhalf Manie Libbok caught everyone off guard, even the Italians. No one knew that start was coming, except of course the Boks, and it resulted in a scrum. Unfortunately, an early engagement didn't result in a full scrum and an opportunity for the Bok machine to lay the marker at that scrum.
There were rumours that the Boks trained the kick-off move this week, but even for an Erasmus innovation, that stunt seemed a bit far-fetched. Who starts a game wanting a scrum after seconds of play? But then again, Erasmus has never had his thoughts inside the box when it comes to coaching and tactical play, and that was a proper move away from the conventional start to matches.
That is outrageous. Yes, copied, but in Test rugby, you pull off that move. In the air ball and a maul and the #Springboks score #RSAvITA — Leighton Koopman (@Leighton_K) July 12, 2025
That little ingenuity was not all the back-to-back World Cup winners had up their sleeve, though. And they showed their hand early on.
A lineout type of lift in open play to catch a pass was orchestrated in the Italian 22m area. From that catch, a maul was manufactured and led to a penalty advantage with the Italians trying to collapse it. Outside centre Canan Moodie busted through a couple of defenders to score the fourth try ahead of the break from that maul. In the second half, hooker Malcolm Marx scored off the same type of manufactured maul, with the move paying off again.
Some slick backline play led to the opening try by Grant Williams, where Libbok assisted alongside winger Makazole Mapimpi, while the mercurial Bok flyhalf also had a hand in the first score of home debutant, right wing Edwill van der Merwe. Van der Merwe's second five-pointer came after a neat little chip by centurion Willie le Roux, who delivered a solid performance in his 100th Test.
🏉 ℂ𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕃𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕀𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 🏉
𝐓𝐑𝐘: The first try of the match by Grant Williams!
🇿🇦 🆚 🇮🇹
🚨 LIVE
📺 SABC 2
🌐 https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE#SABCSportRugby #Springboks #RSAvITA pic.twitter.com/8FLywiOJ0f — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 12, 2025
Van der Merwe, named Player of the Match, chased the kick, and after a fumble by the Italians, he kicked it through and chased the ball down behind the posts to dive over. In his second try, where he was almost tackled out, Libbok threw a brilliant flat pass to get him in space to dive over in the corner.
The four first-half tries were stunning, and the Gqeberha crowd lapped up every little bit of play of the world champions.
After the maul try by Marx, the entertainment died down a bit on the field, especially when Erasmus brought on the substitutions systematically. Here and there, some moments of magic flared up, but it was a largely physical second half, coupled with box kicks that the Boks chased with a lot of success.
That physical dominance, especially at the rolling maul, led to the sixth try that Mapimpi scored in front of a jubilant crowd. Libbok again played a big role with his distribution as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu took a drifting pass after André Esterhuizen started the move.
Speaking about Esterhuizen, he was outstanding alongside Marx. The duo led the physical charge. The inside centre was prominent amongst the forwards to do the dirty work, but he also carried strongly on the offensive and tackled hard to help keep the Italians scoreless.
While the talk will be about the attack, defending with such precision after receiving a red and yellow card in the game must be applauded. Even the few times Italy broke the defensive line, the scrambling of the world champions was brilliant.
They said they will right their wrongs from last week. Apart from the cards, the Boks did just that. The players acquitted themselves well of their task, and despite the number of changes to the team, they played like a polished unit. That bodes well for the rest of the 2025 Tests.
Springboks: 45 (24): Tries: Grant Williams, Edwill van der Merwe (2), Canan Moodie, Malcolm Marx, Makazole Mapimpi, Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Conversions: Manie Libbok (5). Italy 0.