Arendse star of Bok 63-21 fireworks
Siya says they want to do it again
The Springboks dismantled Italy 63-21 at Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa on Saturday.
Captain Siya Kolisi said how they performed is how they want to play going forward.
The comprehensive win was the first for this year’s outgoing tour after two narrow defeats to Ireland and France in the past weeks.
The Boks went about getting the win without their director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, who is suspended by World Rugby for levelling criticism at referees on his Twitter account. The team put aside the drama and delivered a clinical performance, scoring nine tries in the process.
The balance between the forwards and the backline was impressive. The big pack dominated the Italians physically while the backs ran circles around the defence.
The game looked like it was going to be a tight affair as the Boks had a slender 18 - 13 lead at halftime. However, in the second half they killed the game, dotting down on the white line seven times.
The ruthlessness the Boks showed in Genoa is something they lacked during this season’s international window. There were plenty of great individual performances but the match belonged to Kurt-Lee Arendse; he was fantastic.
Another honourable mention is flyhalf Manie Libbok. His introduction in the second half saw the Boks move the ball swiftly through their hands and run at the Azzurri.
With his impressive cameo Libbok showed that he belongs in international rugby and can present a different option at the number 10 position.
Given the all-around great performance against Italy, Kolisi wants the team to kick on from the performance.
“As a team we want to play well, score tries, offload and put people away, and we enjoyed the game today,” said Kolisi in the post-match press conference.
“We also enjoy the physical part of the game, and to get that balance right was important. That said, doing this once is not enough. We have to keep doing it. The last two games were very close but I believe we are heading in the right direction,” he said.
The Boks next play England at Twickenham this weekend to conclude their tour.
‘‘ As a team we want to play well