Italy boss hails young ‘Grenade Squad’ that bettered Springboks’ famed ‘Bomb Squad’

It was a loss that felt like a win as Italian coach Gonzalo Quesada hails his charges following their performance at Loftus Versfeld, where they pushed the world champion Springboks to the very end.

Quesada singled out his team’s character and growth in their 42-24 defeat on Saturday.

The Azzurri scored three tries and showed impressive second-half resilience , despite being without several frontline players.

Our goal for this tour was to win in Namibia, challenge these Springboks, and develop depth for the future,” said Quesada. “In that sense, this match was very positive.”

The Italians produced a spirited response after the break, holding their own physically and even scoring from a maul – which is a rare feat against the Springboks.

“We didn’t concede any tries from mauls, and we even scored one ourselves. That’s a huge positive,” said Quesada. “I know how hard it was to prepare this match, who we were up against, and where we played. I don’t forget any of that. I give a lot of value to this performance.”

The only sour note for Italy came in the form of an injury to No 8 Lorenzo Cannone, who took a knock to the back and will be assessed further this week.

Looking ahead to the rematch in Gqeberha, Quesada expects a fierce Springbok backlash.

“We know their level will rise significantly next week. They’re not happy with this game and will want to improve. But we also have room to grow and will take confidence from this.”

Stand-in captain Niccolò Cannone said the team played with passion and pride, despite the result.

“I told the boys to play for someone important in their life,” he said. “It was a great honour to captain the side, and we showed a lot of heart. Now our focus turns to the next match.”