Teams for Florence

A plate of spaghetti will do just fine before a final stop in Cardiff ...

THERE are a number of differences between the Springbok and Italy teams.

The Boks have yet again gone for consistency, while the Italians are more focused on finding their feet. South Africa have a bagful of experience, while Italy do not. Oh, and both troops have a new leader in the coaching box.

But one thing they have in common is a rather forgettable season. And although the Boks’ year has without a doubt been the more concerning one, history has always favoured the South Africans whenever they played the Azzurri.

The sides have met 12 times, and the Boks boast a 100% win record. But before we get too cocky, lest we forget – if ever Italy had a chance of securing their first-ever win over South Africa, it definitely would be today. But enough with the history lesson.

One man who can attest to all the troubles the Boks have encountered in 2016 is skipper Adriaan Strauss (perhaps because he was one of the players who has struggled the most).

But he was positive about their preparation ahead of today’s Test in Florence, and believes that their training has been of fine quality this season, even though they rarely achieved the desired results.

“We have had a great week. But to be honest with you, the whole year’s training sessions have been really good,” Strauss said yesterday.

“The effort and the energy was always there. We know we haven’t carried that into Saturdays and onto the Test-match field. So hopefully we can take a step closer to being the team we can be.

“I would like to have a very successful day. It has been a season of some frustration as well. We have been working hard and hopefully things come together tomorrow,” he added.

Some of the Boks’ biggest problems in terms of player Italy: Edoardo Padovani, Giulio Bisegni, Tommaso Benvenuti, Luke Mclean, Giovanbattista Venditti, Carlo Canna, Giorgio Bronzini, Sergio Parisse (captain), Simone Favaro, Francesco Minto, Andries van Schalkwyk, Marco Fuser, Lorenzo Cittadini, Ornel Gega, Sami Panico. Bench: Tommaso D’Apice, Nicola Quaglio, Simone Ferrari, George Fabio Biagi, Abraham Steyn, Edoardo Gori, Tommaso Allan, Tommaso Boni. South Africa: Willie le Roux, Ruan Combrinck, Francois Venter, Damian de Allende, Bryan Habana, Pat Lambie, Rudy Paige, Warren Whiteley, Willem Alberts, Nizaam Carr, Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Vincent Koch, Adriaan Strauss (captain), Tendai Mtawarira. Bench: Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Trevor Nyakane, Franco Mostert, Oupa Mohoje, Faf de Klerk, Elton Jantjies, Johan Goosen. Referee: George Clancy (Ireland). Kickoff: 4pm SA time. positions this year have been in midfield, at fullback and the loose trio.

But despite these issues, Strauss – just like coach Allister Coetzee – believes that continuity is key going forward.

“Consistency definitely helps. A lot of the guys didn’t know each other very well, so it’s good to have the guys playing together for more than one game. To get the consistency going is always a good thing,” the captain said.

Under new Italy coach Conor O’Shea, the Italians are a new outfit, with six players boasting fewer than seven caps.

Captain and No 8 Sergio Parisse is one of the more experienced campaigners with 120 appearances for his country, while Australian-born inside centre Luke Mclean has 82. Tighthead prop Lorenzo Cittadini also has significant experience with 51 caps.

The Bok starting XV boasts 74 more caps than the Italians.

Up front, the visitors will do battle with 157 caps, while Italy will try to combat that with 61.

But Strauss says that his side won’t go into the fixture respecting the hosts any less than they would a more experienced team.

“We approach every game exactly the same, whether we play against Italy or whether we play against England. We give each and every team the same amount of respect,” he added.

“It’s going to be a tough challenge and we’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a physical battle. We need to be clinical. We have showed signs that we can play good rugby, but we need to put that together for the full 80.”

Against England at Twickenham last week, the Boks failed to make full use of their chances and couldn’t convert their possession into points, going down 37-21.

Coetzee has emphasised that the Boks are “process- driven” and not only focused on winning, but Strauss admits that they desperately need a victory.

“Getting points on the board and finishing is important. Like I said we’re not focusing on the win tomorrow, but as coach knows as well, we need the win,” he said.

“We have been our own worst enemy this year, making mistakes and turning over ball and not being able to execute when it really matters.”

The Boks do really need a nourishing meal before they end their tour against Wales in Cardiff. A plate of spaghetti will do just fine ...