Boks run riot in Genoa

S. Africa ............ 63

Italy ................... 21

GENOA - Siya Kolisi’s Springboks delivered the statement performance their supporters were hoping for as they ran riot after halftime to score a comprehensive 63-21 drubbing of Italy in their third tour match in Genoa yesterday.

After two narrow defeats to the two teams ranked No 1 and No 2 in the world respectively, Ireland and France, the Boks desperately needed a win as a first priority and a rousing performance as second against an Azzurri team that had raised their own hopes of a momentous win over the world champions by beating Australia the previous week.

The Boks made nonsense of the fighting talk from Italy in a game played in a boisterous atmosphere even when the visitors were far ahead on the scoreboard. They scored nine tries, seven of those in a completely dominant second half but for one really good consolation score from Italy when the game was long over as a contest.

UPSET

Any hopes of an upset flickered only briefly for the hosts in a game where the tone was really set in just the second minute. That was how long it took the Boks to score their first try as Italy were punished for their inability to exit and a show and go and then skip pass from flyhalf Damian Willemse gave wing Kurt-Lee Arendse the modicum of space he needed to weave his magic.

Not that he didn’t have quite a lot to do still, with the Bulls wing using his pace and low-level running style to make it to a few metres from the line before rolling through a tackle to dot down.

Italy did come back in the next quarter of an hour, and South Africa’s own poor exiting was effectively punished by a good build-up from Italy that was rounded off by the X-factor of fullback Ange Capuozzo, who seared through a gap off a short pass and then used his pace to beat the Bok cover defenders.