Springbok vs Italy; Bokke forwards receives brutal warning ahead of clash
Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi believes Italy will be a fierce test at Loftus Versfeld this weekend. Photo: Timothy Bernard Independent Media
It’s almost a given that most South Africans expect the Springboks to comfortably dispatch of Italy at Loftus Versfeld this weekend.
After all, in 16 previous encounters, Italy have beaten the Boks just once — a narrow 20–18 win in Florence back in 2016. A quick glance at the matchday 23 selected by Bok mentor Rassie Erasmus has only reinforced that conviction. It is a powerful unit, one with the potential to dismantle any opposition.
Nonetheless, Bok hooker Bongi Mbonambi — named on the bench for Saturday’s Test (kick-off 5pm) — has advised caution, as the 34-year-old believes a brutal battle up front is brewing. And the stats support his concern.
During the Six Nations earlier this year, the Azzurri lost only two of their scrums, boasting a 93% success rate. At the other set-piece — the line-out — they achieved a 90% success rate, winning 63 throw-ins and losing only seven. At ruck time, meanwhile, they retained 96% of possession at the contact point.
It all points to a team confident in their structure, according to Mbonambi.
“The Italian pack have proven themselves, especially in the Six Nations,” Mbonambi said on Wednesday, from their base in Johannesburg.
“We saw how hard they scrummed against top packs. They have a system that they believe in. They’ve proven themselves to be a threat, and they have a plan to use their pack.
“They have two clubs — Benetton and Zebre — at the moment, and a small pool of players to pick from, but the talent is there and you can see they’re willing to work hard.
“The public will have a different look and feel towards the game,” Mbonambi added, “but the planning for us this past week has been based on the perception that Italy are going to come down here with a massive challenge.”
Naturally, the Italians will have to make a substantial step up to compete against the Boks on their home turf, but expecting anything less than an arm-wrestle could be to the hosts’ own peril. In that vein, the Bok veteran identified the key personnel they will need to subdue this weekend.
“Their leaders are their loose-forwards and their centres, and they carry that team,” Mbonambi revealed. “They also have a coach that drives their passion.”
That group includes Lorenzo Cannone, Alessandro Izekor, Sebastian Negri, David Odiase, Ross Vintcent, Andrea Zambonin and Manuel Zuliani amongst the loose-forwards, with Damiano Mazza, Tommaso Menoncello, Giulion Bertaccini, Marco Zanon, Mirko Belloni and Paolo Odogwu his midfield picks.
In their recent victory over Namibia last weekend, coach Gonzalo Quesada started with Negri, Zuliani and Vintcent as his loosies, with Zambonin and Cannone on the bench. Marin and Menoncello started at 12 and 13, respectively, with Bertaccini as cover.
“We know they’re going to come at us up front,” Mbonambi continued.
“The backline players they have are powerful runners. We’re going to have to front up, and it’s going to be a massive battle for 80 minutes.
“We’re never going to get to a place in the game where we are comfortable and allow them to play their game. We are going to have to implement our system — our power, our physicality — onto them before they try what they want to do,” he concluded.
