Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said there was no place for complacency going into Saturday’s match against Italy at the Allianz Stadium, Turin, in their opening match of the Nations Championship Northern Series, saying the Boks have to be at their best against a determined Italian outfit.
The Boks may be ranked higher than Italy on the world rankings, but Stick said this match was vital for the team to build momentum with two tough games against France and Ireland lined up before the Finals Weekend from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November.
“For us, the start is very important,” said Stick on Friday.
“We’re competing against the northern hemisphere, but there’s also an excitement in the way the competition is structured now, and everyone wants to be in the final.
“There’s a lot to play for against the northern hemisphere teams, and on the other side we’re still competing with New Zealand to finish on top (of the southern hemisphere table), so the structure brings a lot of excitement, and the guys are engaged.”
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Stick added: “Playing Italy away in Turin, where we played last year, the crowd is crazy when it comes to energy. It’s always tough to play them at home, so we must make sure we’re at our best.
“To give ourselves a chance of playing in the final, we have to start this tour well, so we’ll give it everything and try to make our people back home proud.”
CHALLENGING ENCOUNTER
Stick was not fazed by the fact that Italy will be missing several star players, and said the players stepping in to fill their boots, combined with some regulars in their squad, will set the scene for a challenging encounter.
“Injuries are part of the game – guys like Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello not being available is a big loss for them, but they still have a quality side,” said Stick.
“Ange Capuozzo is world-class, and probably one of the best outside backs in the world, and if you give him space and time, he’ll punish you. We’ve played against him many times and we understand his threats.
“But that said, we also have our strengths as a team, and we have to make sure we focus on our systems and put those in place.
“They’ll be motivated playing at home, and even with the players they’ve lost, they still have world-class players in their backline, with guys like Monty Ioane on the wing and Paolo Garbisi at No 10, so it’s going to be a tough game.”
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, who will earn his 108th test cap when he leads the team onto the field, was thrilled that the squad was back together, and swept aside concerns that they may take time to gel as a unit after a few weeks apart from their last test match against Australia in September.
“When we went away (after the Australia test), two weeks in, the guys started messaging each other because we missed each other, so it’s never hard for us to get up for a game, so we’re excited, and hopeful that we can start this tour strongly,” said Kolisi.
“This is a new competition, which is also something to be excited about, so we have an important game this week. We’ve trained well, we are prepared, and we can’t wait for the game.”
'FIRST, THE WIN'
Asked how much of a focus there was within the team to try to register a bonus-point victory, with the Boks tied on 15 points with New Zealand on the southern hemisphere standings, Kolisi said their approach was to control what they were capable of controlling, as opposed to thinking too far ahead.
“We just want to win. The first thing is to get the win, and if we get the lead in the game, then we can go for the bonus point,” said the Bok skipper.
“You can’t think about bonus points before you even have a win, so we’ll take the game as it comes, and we respect each team. We’re playing Italy at home, and we know how tough it was for us to play against them here last year.
“There’s nothing we can do to control what New Zealand do in their games. All we have control over is what we do as a team.”
The match kicks off at 13h40 (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.