The Springboks have a lot of respect for Italy and you won’t hear them saying they want to win by a big score in Gqeberha, but then they don’t need to - the message comes in the selection for the second test.
Yes, coach Rassie Erasmus was always going to rotate his selections. His intention at the outset was to give as many players as possible two outings in this initial four-match phase of the international season, incorporating the non-cap game against the Barbarians and the three tests that will be concluded when Georgia visit Nelspruit next week.
But there’s also an attacking intent to the selection that is hard to ignore. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu might be the future at flyhalf, but he may be a tad too individualistic right now to completely connect with those around him. Handre Pollard is the man you turn to when you are playing a tight World Cup final that is likely to be settled by clutch kicks, like Morne Steyn was in the last British and Irish Lions series.
But if you are chasing 60, then your man is the best distributing flyhalf in the squad, and that is Manie Libbok. What the Boks need after the frustration of, particularly the second half at Loftus last week, is something akin to what happened in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship decider against Argentina last September, when Libbok was very much the catalyst for a rout.
Chef Manie is ready to cook in Gqeberha on Saturday 🧑🍳
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 10, 2025
"It's important to focus on my role within the structures and execute to the best of my abilities." 🗣️#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/CREtAsoZZz
He doesn’t carry the burden of having poor place-kicking form this time around and said this week he is more than happy to take on the responsibility of being the first-choice kicker. Remember, Jaden Hendrikse did the job in Nelspruit so that Libbok could focus on his other all-around skills, which are all related to attacking rugby.
HUGE ADVANTAGE TO HAVING THREE RECEIVERS
There are many who believe the Stormers have made a huge mistake by so glibly letting Libbok out of his contract and this game could well serve as confirmation. Apparently, Feinberg-Mngomezulu did state that he wants to specialise at flyhalf at franchise level, but don’t bet against Feinberg-Mngomezulu playing centre when he comes onto the field on Saturday.
In Erasmus’ world, it is not the player who dictates where he plays, but the coach, and there’s a huge advantage to having three first receivers on the field, which is what you get when you have Libbok, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Willie le Roux all on the field at the same time (at the Stormers it would have been those two with Warrick Gelant or Damian Willemse).
There could be a necessary growth element to playing Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the midfield, where he played a lot for the Stormers in his first few seasons, in that it will militate against quite the same degree of individualism.
Not that he will necessarily play there. He can also play fullback and of course, he could come on at pivot. You can’t really predict what Erasmus is going to do, and of course, he’d want to retain a surprise element for the Italians to have to figure out on the hoof. But there are endless possibilities when it comes to the attacking capabilities of this team.
Libbok brought out the best in Canan Moodie in the Rugby World Cup warmup game against the All Blacks at Twickenham in 2023, and then there’s Ethan Hooker. We don’t know where the youngster from KZN will come onto the field, it could be wing or it could be centre, but he will be coming into a combination well stocked when it comes to the task of creating space for the players outside.
Like it is for debutants like Hooker and Cobus Wiese, it is a big day for Le Roux, who will be playing his 100th game. Who knows how much more we will see of him in a Bok jersey after this? He played on to make the landmark and he is likely to gradually, or maybe not so gradually, be phased out after this. Percy Montgomery, who played the same position as Le Roux, played two more games after he made his 100. Le Roux could do the same.
12 years in the making 💯
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 10, 2025
Willie le Roux's debut vs Willie le Roux's century 👀#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/FATNpvvP2x
The uncertainty over how much longer he will be involved should make us all the more eager to see him strut his stuff against Italy, and like Libbok, he does add to the connectedness of the attack. So Erasmus’ goal of taking the Italians out of the comfort zone they were allowed to slip into last week could well hit the target.
EXPECT A BLEND OF FINESSE AND BRUTALITY
If we rewind to the complete performance that buried the Pumas last year, we will also be reminded that it is not just about the backs. There was a blend to the Bok game in Mbombela, a synthesis of broadsword and rapier, that made them nigh impossible to deal with, and if the changed-up team can emulate that in Gqeberha, then there will be a message sent out and a statement made about Erasmus’ options going forward.
In many ways, that is what this game is about for the Boks. For Italy, it is about building on the confidence they gained by fighting back last week, but even if the referee Andrew Brace hasn’t made the adjustments to the calls at the breakdown the Boks appeared to be hoping for when they put Jaco Peyper on media duty this week, the hosts should have figured out a plan.
The Bok scrum was dominant in the first half last week and should be so again. The lineout problems that blighted them for periods in Pretoria will also hopefully have been ironed out. If they are not, it would be a surprise and also raise a note of concern.
No one is disrespecting Italy and no one can just glibly expect 60 against opponents who have started to make a habit of pushing the best in the Six Nations and who got all their coaching calls right in the first game.
But let’s not forget they are also well short of full strength, so a more clinical and ruthlessly executed performance than the one we saw last week could well see the Boks achieve the margin of win that was expected a week ago.
South Africa's eighth Test centurion will be joined by three uncapped players in the #Springboks' match-23 for Saturday's return Test against Italy in Gqeberha 💯#ForeverGreenForeverGold
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 8, 2025
Teams
South Africa: Willie le Roux, Edwill van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Manie Libbok, Grant Williams, Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Salmaan Moerat (captain), Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit. Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Ox Nche, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Cobus Wiese, Evan Roos, Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker.
Italy: Mirko Belloni, Louis Lynagh, Tommaso Menoncello, Marco Zanon, Jacopo Trulla, Giacomo Da Re, Alessandro Garbisi, Ross Vintcent, Manuel Zuliani, Sebastian Negri, Andrea Zambonin, Niccolo Cannone, Simone Ferrari, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Danilo Fischetti.
Replacements: Pablo Dimcheff, Mirco Spagnolo, Muhamed Hasa, Matteo Canali, Alessandro Izekor, David Odiase, Stephen Varney, Giulio Bertaccini.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Kick-off: 17.30
Prediction: Springboks to win by 30