RWC Pool B Preview – Italy vs South Africa

Any chance for a surprise result in Pool B may come on Friday as Italy will look to overturn South Africa in Shizuoka. The Azzurri are riding high after dominant wins over both Namibia and Canada, and having effectively secured automatic qualification for Rugby World Cup 2023 they now turn their eyes towards a possible Quarter Final spot.

Of course doing so is easier said than done given South Africa’s quality. Despite the loss to New Zealand in their opening match, the Springboks remain title contenders but they must first navigate an in-form Italian side. They are also a team that boasts a win over South Africa in November 2016, though their most recent encounter a year later was decidedly less competitive.

Conor O’Shea has made only three changes to the side that routed Canada, though all are significant. Sergio Parisse returns to captain the side in his 142nd test, now second all-time only to Richie McCaw. Tito Tebaldi is recalled at scrumhalf, and Luca Morisi comes into the midfield with Michele Campagnaro switching to the wing.

On the other side, Rassie Erasmus has largely reverted to the team that faced the All Blacks with three exceptions, all in the pack. Tendai Mtawarira and Bongi Mbonambi come into the front row with Steven Kitshoff and Malcolm Marx left on the bench. Lood de Jager is rewarded for his man-of-the-match effort against Namibia with a spot in the second row.

The betting odds favor South Africa but the Azzurri cannot be taken lightly. Both teams have named six forwards on the bench with the coaches anticipating heavy attrition. The Springboks have too much class to let this one slip with a Quarter Final spot on the line. Take South Africa by 15.

Kickoff is set for 6:45pm local time, 2:45am Pacific, 5:45am Eastern, 6:45am in Rio de la Plata. Live broadcasts will be available on ESPN 3 in Latin and South America, NBC Sports Network in the USA, and TSN channels 1 and 4 in Canada.

ITALY
1 Andrea Lovotti, 2 Luca Bigi, 3 Simone Ferrari, 4 David Sisi, 5 Dean Budd, 6 Braam Steyn, 7 Jake Polledri, 8 Sergio Parisse (capt.), 9 Tito Tebaldi, 10 Tommaso Allan, 11 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Jayden Hayward, 13 Luca Morisi, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 15 Matteo Minozzi

Replacements: 16 Federico Zani, 17 Nicola Quaglio, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Alessandro Zanni, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Sebastian Negri, 22 Callum Braley, 23 Carlo Canna

SOUTH AFRICA
1 Tendai Mtawarira, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 3 Frans Malherbe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Lood de Jager, 6 Siya Kolisi (capt.), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 9 Faf de Klerk, 10 Handré Pollard, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 12 Damian de Allende, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 15 Willie le Roux

Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Francois Louw, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn

Date: Friday, October 4
Kick-Off: 18:45 local (02:45 Pacific, 05:45 Eastern, 06:45 Rio de la Plata)
Venue: ECOPA Stadium, Shizuoka
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistants: Romain Poite (France) & Alex Ruiz (France)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
Broadcasts: ESPN 3 (Latin/South America), NBCSN (USA), TSN 1/4 (Canada)