Springboks player ratings: Bomb Squad ‘fails to fire’ after starter’s ‘jaw-dropping’ demolition of Italy’s pack

Following the Springboks’ 42-24 victory over Italy at Loftus Versfeld, here’s how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ charges.

Springboks Player ratings v Italy

15 Damian Willemse: A welcome return to the Springboks starting XV, earning his first cap for the side since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final. He hardly missed a beat at the back and was mesmerising when he countered from there. He was the only player to rack up more than 100 running metres and beat a mind-blowing eight defenders. Later in the game, he switched to inside centre and still looked right back at home. 8

14 Cheslin Kolbe: Didn’t see as much ball as he did against the Baa-Baas, but was similarly tricky for the defence when he did. He was excellent in the air too and did go in search of work. 6

13 Jesse Kriel: The latest Springboks captain grabbed a try and was once again a leader defensively. He brought his trademark work-rate but didn’t get too much reward for it. 6

12 Damian de Allende: Renowned for his ballast and aggression in contact, but every now and then the brutal centre pulls something special out of his heavy artillery toolbox and did just that with his deft kick to set up his midfield partner. He put in a similarly brilliant kick not too long after, and while the Boks did play narrower than last year, De Allende still shifted the ball on well when required. 7

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Ran his line to perfection to slice right through the Italian defence, and his dazzling footwork did the rest as he scored a truly marvellous try. It was not all just flash from the winger who made a stunning try-saving tackle on Simone Gesi and chased the Boks’ high bombs to an incredibly high standard as South Africa dominated the aerial game. 8

10 Handre Pollard: An early error out of character gave the pack their first opportunity to flex their overwhelming dominance, but he quickly recovered to produce a commanding performance. It was exactly what you’d expect from Pollard – a calm, mature shift that included flashes of excellence alongside superb execution of his lethal boot. His dictatorship is not always evident on the broadcast, but is unmissable in person. 7

9 Morne van den Berg: Got a start in dry weather today and the livewire halfback took it with both hands, scoring two tries. The first was off the back of a powerful scrum, but he did well to pick up the ball as it shot out between his legs. For the second, he showed off his pace to slice through the Azzurri defence. Outside of the fact that he managed to kick referee Hollie Davidson in a botched box-kick, it was a well-rounded and effective performance from the number nine in all facets of the game. 8

The pack

8 Jasper Wiese: It’s hard to believe that he hasn’t played a rugby match since March. The Springboks number eight moved ahead of Bobby Skinstad to rack up the fourth-most starts in the position for South Africa, and boy, did he relish his return. He ran with insane venom and aggression, crossing the gain line more often than not. Hooked off in the 55th minute after a titanic shift. 8 7 Vincent Tshituka: Denied a try on his Test debut and it would have been richly deserved after a sterling first half at the highest level. It is clear to see why Erasmus is a fan of Tshituka as he adds a genuine lineout option in the loose trio and is powerful and athletic in the wider channels. He looked like a perfect fit in the Springboks pack today, and made a truly brutal carry in the build up to his back-row teammate’s try. 8

6 Marco van Staden: Quietly went about his business for much of the game but did have bright sparks, particularly with the ball in hand as he powered over the line from close range. Powerful in the tackles, which is a staple of his game. 7 

5 Lood de Jager: His first official Test match since before the Rugby World Cup, and just as he did against the Barbarians, he was excellent at running the lineout while he landed several mighty hits yet again. Departed the pitch along with the rest of the tight five shortly after half-time. 7

4 Eben Etzebeth: Unsurprisingly, he chased the Springboks’ kicks like a man possessed and had the same attitude when Alessandro Fusco lined up his box-kicks before the number nine made a slight tweak to put the lock off. Great in the carry and at lineout time too, where he was a safe option for his side and managed to nick one off the Azzurri’s throw. 7

3 Wilco Louw: A powerhouse in the front-row as he comfortably got the better of Azzurri loosehead prop Danilo Fischetti in every single scrum. He also made some uncomfortable carries but did well, still managing to gain ground. He was central to the utter demolition job of the Italian set-piece, and the manner in which he did so was frankly jaw-dropping. 8

2 Malcolm Marx: Played his part in a dominating scrummaging effort but was his usual abrasive self in the tight exchanges and was accurate at lineout time and pestered the breakdown without reward. 7

1 Ox Nche: The final cog in a powerhouse machine that simply decimated the Azzuri’s scrum. The cake-loving prop continues to get his hands on the ball plenty and made some decent passes while being strong defensively. Cheered off along with his fellow forwards when Erasmus deployed his ‘Bomb Squad’. 8

Replacements: Erasmus deployed most his ‘Bomb Squad’ when the Springboks were leading 28-10 and while they would score a further 14 points, they conceded the same amount. There were standout performances from the likes of Kwagga Smith, Faf de Klerk and Vincent Koch but, frankly, the bench failed to fire effectively with the Italians finding some ascendancy. 4