14-man Springboks overcome early Wiese red card to nil Italy
FIRED-UP SOUTH AFRICA overcame a first-half red card for number 8 Jasper Wiese to beat Italy 45-0 in Gqeberha on Saturday and complete a 2-0 Test series victory.
Wiese was sent off after 22 minutes for head-butting prop Danilo Fischetti in a penalty-riddled match that also saw one South African and two Italians yellow-carded.
At one stage in the second half at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium it was 13 versus 15 after Springboks prop Wilco Louw was yellow-carded.
Fischetti followed Louw to the sin bin three minutes later and replacement loose forward David Odiase was yellow-carded in the closing stages.
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Amid the mayhem, full-back Willie le Roux became the eighth Springbok to win 100 caps. He received rapturous applause when substituted midway through the second half.
Back Ethan Hooker and forwards Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Cobus Wiese — a brother of Jasper — made their Test debuts off the bench in a second half that became increasingly scrappy.
A South African side showing 11 changes to the starting line-up after a mixed first Test performance last weekend scored seven tries to the delight of a capacity 44,282 crowd in the eastern coastal city.
Winger Edwill van der Merwe, recalled after a 13-month absence, scored twice in the first half and scrum-half Grant Williams and centre Canan Moodie also crossed the tryline.
After missing his first two conversions with kicks that veered left of the near post, fly-half Manie Libbok succeeded with the next two and South Africa led 24-0 at half-time.
The record four-time Rugby World Cup winners added another three tries in the second half through hooker Malcolm Marx, winger Makazole Mapimpi and replacement hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Libbok converted them all to finish for a personal tally of 10 points, and his mix of kicking and running was impressive in an electric atmosphere.
Italy, fielding only five of the starters in a narrow Six Nations Championship loss to Ireland last March, rarely threatened to score and conceded many penalties.
South Africa will return to action next Saturday in Mbombela, where they face Georgia in a one-off Test.
– © AFP 2025
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