Springboks batter Italy, go top of Pool B
Kolbe magic as South Africa dominate Italy to keep hopes of knockout stage berth
>> SHIZUOKA: South Africa had a five-try second half en route to their 49-3 bonus-point win over 14-man Italy yesterday in Shizuoka, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage at the Rugby World Cup.
The result left both teams on 10 points, but Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks will bid for another full five points when they round off their Pool B campaign against whipping boys Canada in Kobe on Tuesday.
Italy, however, are left with a testing game against in-form defending champions New Zealand — who first take on Namibia tomorrow — in Toyota on Oct 12.
Man-of-the-match Cheslin Kolbe’s try double was the highlight for the Springboks but the evening ended uncomfortably for the speedster when he limped off late in the game after twisting his ankle in a tackle.
“This was crunch game for us. It looked easy, but it was a fairly slippery game for us,” said Erasmus. “I thought that the red card obviously cost them because there were stages when they almost came back into the game.”
As Erasmus called the match a “do-or-die game”, his players stayed true to his words and took control of the Pool B match at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa.
They were playing at the venue that staged Japan’s victory over Ireland — the biggest upset at the tournament so far — but did not allow Italy to repeat what the Brave Blossoms did last week.
The Springboks took full advantage of the injury-prone Azzurri side, who also played most of the second stanza one man down following a red card to Andrea Lovotti on a dangerous tip tackle.
In front of a vibrant crowd, fleetfooted Kolbe put the Springboks on the scoreboard, receiving a well-placed pass from Willie Le Roux before beating two defenders and touching down at the corner.
Tommaso Allan converted a penalty for Italy from in front of the posts just three minutes later, but Handre Pollard’s penalty goal and Mbongeni Mbonambi dotting on a rolling maul put the Springboks up 17-3 at the break.
The Springboks scored five more tries in the second half and earned a bonus point, while Pollard was nearly perfect with his boot throughout the game, nailing four conversions and two penalties.
World No.5 South Africa came into the match against No.12 Italy as favourites, but they were facing a possible exit from the pool stage after opening their campaign with a 23-13 defeat to New Zealand.
Competing in his fifth World Cup, Italy captain Sergio Parisse earned his 142th cap and landed second on the all-time list, with only New Zealand’s Richie McCaw having played more international matches at 148.
Italy came close to scoring in South Africa’s 22 in the first stanza, but their disjointed attack and a relentless Springbok defence prevented Conor O’Shea’s men from crossing the line. AFP/KYODO