The world champions march into Turin with fresh faces and fresh purpose, and the stakes of the Springboks vs Italy Test Match 2025 are sharper than they first appear. South Africa arrive buoyed by statement wins on tour and a year of authority, yet Italy’s surge and the memory of bruising July exchanges demand full focus and discipline.
South Africa have beaten Japan and France to open the tour, and they have won 10 of 12 Tests this season. In July the Springboks took both matches against Italy, 42-24 in Pretoria and 45-0 in Gqeberha, but the lessons ran deeper than the scorelines, especially at Loftus where an Italian rolling maul marched the hosts 30 metres. That snapshot still echoes, a reminder that Turin will ask hard questions again.
Italy ride into this weekend with a 26-19 win over Australia in Udine, a second-ever victory against the Wallabies that sparked belief across a growing squad. Australia-born wings Louis Lynagh and Montanna Ioane delivered the tries while Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii sat in the sin bin, and the Azzurri will try to pour that momentum into one more shock against elite opposition. Since February’s win over Wales they absorbed defeats to South Africa, Ireland, England and France, which frames the Wallabies result as both a release and a warning.
What the Springboks are saying
Attack coach Tony Brown dismissed the idea that Italy will lack bite and compared their approach to a familiar southern challenge. The Boks expect a high tempo, ball-in-hand game, and a physical edge that grows at home.
“Italy are a physical side. They do play a different game to France and pose different challenges with ball in hand. They are coached similarly to Argentina, who like to throw the ball around, and Italy are very similar. Their game has improved a hell of a lot over the last couple of years and they are a dangerous side,” Brown said.
Damian Willemse, who has lived these matchups in both Test green and Stormers blue, underlined how rounded and ruthless the Azzurri can be across the park. He flagged the aerial battle, the maul, and the threat of Italy’s strike backs, a constellation of names that keeps analysts busy and defenders honest.
“Italy have really built their game. They are an all-court team. It will be a good challenge, especially in the air. Their wingers are not scared to get up and at the ball. Defensively, they are a really good team. Then, set-piece-wise, we know they are a good mauling side,” Willemse said.
The respect is specific. Willemse singled out Ange Capuozzo at fullback, Ignacio Brex at centre, Niccolo Cannone at lock and Manuel Zuliani in the back row. Earlier in the week, the Boks also acknowledged Tommaso Menoncello, Lynagh and Monty Ioane, a backline core that can cut open space if given time or a poor kick chase. Italy’s pieces are varied, their form is rising, and in front of home fans they can sting any opponent with a single moment.
Marco van Staden, set to play a central role in the contact zones, turned the conversation to the grind that decides Tests. Italy’s pack has been underrated, he argued, and the breakdown will be a flashpoint.
“They have hard-working loose forwards, they get over the park and into a lot of work, especially the breakdowns, so they will come hard for us. Their line-outs are good and they are a good scrumming team,” Van Staden said.
Rassie Erasmus goes big on rotation
South Africa confirmed sweeping changes, 11 in total to the starting team that beat France in Paris. It is the two-squad principle in action, the same competitive internal pressure that has kept the Springboks razor sharp all year. Rassie Erasmus was clear that the plan is twofold, build depth and pick a group tailored to the threats Italy will bring.
There is also a twist, the bench carries no second hooker, with Van Staden covering Johan Grobbelaar if needed. Siya Kolisi captains a lineup that blends senior leadership with hungry opportunity, and it should whet the appetite for the collisions to come.
Springbok starting team in Turin
- Damian Willemse
- Edwill van der Merwe
- Canan Moodie
- Ethan Hooker
- Kurt-Lee Arendse
- Handre Pollard
- Morne van den Berg
- Marco van Staden
- Ben-Jason Dixon
- Siya Kolisi, capt
- Franco Mostert
- Jean Kleyn
- Zachary Porthen
- Johan Grobbelaar
- Boan Venter
Springbok bench
- Gerhard Steenekamp
- Wilco Louw
- RG Snyman
- Ruan Nortje
- Andre Esterhuizen
- Kwagga Smith
- Grant Williams
- Manie Libbok
Handre Pollard has a point to prove
Handre Pollard’s selection at flyhalf is one of the week’s most compelling storylines. The veteran goal-kicker has ceded spotlight recently to the sensational Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Pollard was replaced after an underwhelming Pretoria outing in July, then again in the Rugby Championship loss at Eden Park. He missed five Tests since then, a stretch that coincided with the birth of his daughter, Isabella, and now he gets a start with Manie Libbok on the bench.
This is a tailor-made stage for Pollard. The Boks want control, field position and scoreboard pressure, and few would bet against him reminding the rugby world of his composure under fire. If his rhythm returns early, South Africa’s attack can layer in strike moves off steady exits and a purposeful kicking game.
Depth and cohesion under the spotlight
One of the season’s recurring themes has been the way fresh faces lift performance. The July clean sheet in Gqeberha, 45-0 with Salmaan Moerat captaining and three debuts from the bench, set a template for energy and accuracy. Now, with Johan Grobbelaar, Morne van den Berg, Jean Kleyn and Zachary Porthen in the run-on team, plus Ben-Jason Dixon at blindside, the Springboks get another chance to showcase the quality of their depth.
There is a new midfield combination too, Ethan Hooker at inside centre with Canan Moodie outside him. Cohesion will depend on how well combinations clicked at training rather than Test mileage together, which is why clarity of role, communication and set-piece accuracy become non-negotiable in the opening quarter.
Ethan Hooker’s homecoming feeling
Hooker’s rise has been one of the season’s bright stories. The 22-year-old debuted against Italy in July and spoke this week about how another meeting with the Azzurri would feel like a homecoming. His versatility at wing, centre and fullback has already been a Springbok asset, and he embraces the demand to slot wherever the plan requires.
“Italy are always a tough team. I have never played them in Italy and I can only imagine that at home they would be a different monster. If I had to run out on the field this weekend it would be very special. I made my debut against them, so it would almost be like a homecoming,” Hooker said.
Hooker added that the Bok environment pushes players to improve daily, a cultural edge that prevents drift after big wins. That dovetails with the selection approach this week, the two-squad rhythm keeps standards high, and the Italian backline presents a perfect test for his combination with Moodie and the back-three speed.
Four priorities for the Springboks
- Repeat the Gqeberha standard, the 45-0 performance was built on set-piece control, fast ruck ball and relentless pressure.
- Shut down Italy’s momentum, keep them pinned in exit zones and deny quick taps or unstructured launchpads.
- See Pollard seize the moment, restore fluency in the general play kicking and convert pressure into points.
- Showcase depth without losing cohesion.
Set piece, the aerial duel and the first minutes
The opening exchanges matter. In July, South Africa created a scrum opportunity straight from the kickoff in Gqeberha, then lost the scrum, a tiny detail that still matters because it illustrates how small lapses can give Italy a foothold. Willemse warned that the wingers will contest high balls aggressively, so the Springboks must marry chase lines with composure under the lights.
The maul will be a barometer. Italy’s drive embarrassed the Boks at Loftus for those 30 metres, and Van Staden’s breakdown warning links to that same effort area. If South Africa own their lineout calls and keep the drive square, the Azzurri’s most reliable weapon loses its sting and the territory game swings.
The breakdown and discipline
Van Staden’s words tracked with evidence from Udine, where Italy put Australia under pressure at the ruck. That is a direct challenge to the Springboks’ cleaners and decision makers at the contact point, and it raises the value of the back-row rotation from the bench.
Discipline is another pillar. Brown referenced the red card against France when he stressed the need to keep 15 players on the field. In a tight European Test where penalties become launchpads, staying onside and clean at the tackle could be the difference between a routine win and a nervy finish.
Why Italian club form still matters
Italy’s surge is not just a Test story. Benetton and Zebre have ambushed South African franchises in recent seasons, with the Stormers and Sharks losing in Italy last term and the Lions falling there this season. The Springboks are a different animal of course, but those club results show how Italian systems are bedding down, and why respect is more than a polite gesture.
That club-to-Test pipeline explains the confidence in players like Capuozzo, Brex, Cannone, Menoncello and Zuliani. It also contextualises why Brown likens them to Argentina, a team that lives off tempo and feel. The lesson for South Africa is simple, strangle the rhythm and the game becomes a grind the Boks relish.
Internal competition and the road ahead
Rassie Erasmus has leaned into competition within the squad, and it is visible this week. The no-frills message is clear, earn your jersey, lift the standard, and keep the machine humming. That internal pressure is the best antidote to any hint of taking Italy lightly, especially with Ireland and Wales looming at the back end of the tour.
The teams collide in Turin at 2.40pm, and the balance between experimentation and execution sits at the heart of the Springboks’ plan. Win the contacts, manage the air, kick with purpose, and the scoreboard will likely reflect the gulf in depth, but underestimate Italy’s edge and the afternoon can get complicated in a hurry.
The final word
Everything about the week screams focus. The Springboks have rotated without losing their spine, Pollard has a chance to reassert control, and a clutch of hungry forwards will measure themselves against a proud pack that has already proved it can hurt them. Italy bring belief and variety, and they will not be short of ambition at home.
South Africa’s mantra remains the same, respect every opponent and win the small battles that build to the big one. Do that in Turin, then carry the lessons forward, and the world champions will bank another step in a year built on standards and steel.
