Italy v South Africa tips: Boks to punish Italy's defence
The Boks should win in Turin. Italy conceded 131 points across their three July Nations Championship defeats, while South Africa scored 130 in three wins. Rassie Erasmus has named his side early, with Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit starting together rather than a developmental front row.
Italy v South Africa. Saturday, 07 November 2026, 13:40 SAST. Nations Championship. Allianz Stadium, Turin.
Match comparison
| Focus | Recent performance | Key detail |
|---|---|---|
| July results | South Africa: three wins | 130 scored, 49 conceded |
| July results | Italy: three defeats | 37 scored, 131 conceded |
| Bok selection | Moerat returns alongside Nortje | Six forwards on the bench |
Italy have too much ground to recover
Italy lost 27-10 to Japan, 47-17 to New Zealand and 57-10 to Australia in July. The final two matches were particularly damaging: the defence conceded 104 points while the attack managed 27.
That combination leaves Italy with more to solve than one weak area. Keeping the Boks below their July scoring rate would still leave the hosts needing a substantial improvement with the ball. They scored just ten against both Japan and Australia.
South Africa's results came against England, Scotland and Wales, with victories of 45-21, 42-28 and 43-0. The shutout against Wales completed a perfect opening phase and left the Boks level with New Zealand on 15 points, ahead on points difference.
Erasmus has named the front row
Nche, Marx and Thomas du Toit start, with Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw among the replacements. The six-forward bench means Italy must face a second front row after dealing with the starters.
Salmaan Moerat makes his first Bok appearance of the year after neck and toe injuries. He partners Ruan Nortje at lock, with Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese completing the starting pack.
Cameron Hanekom and Paul de Villiers cover the back row from the bench, with Lood de Jager the replacement lock.
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The Nations Championship guide follows the Springboks through November. It includes their schedule and the route to the final weekend.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu has experienced midfield support
Morne van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are the halfbacks, with Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel outside them. Ethan Hooker, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse form the back three.
Grant Williams and Manie Libbok cover the backs from the bench. That gives Erasmus alternatives at both halfback positions without breaking up the starting midfield before the match has even begun.
Italy's July scores make their defensive work against this backline the central problem. New Zealand and Australia scored 104 points between them, and the Boks arrive after scoring at least 42 in each championship match.
France and Ireland follow, but Turin comes first
South Africa travel to France next Friday and Ireland the following weekend. With New Zealand level on points, losing ground to Italy would make the rest of that programme considerably more difficult.
Italy conceded 47 against New Zealand and 57 against Australia in their last two championship games. Against a South African attack that passed 40 in every July fixture, the hosts face another difficult defensive assignment.