Great Win for the Boks”: Springboks Sink Italy 42-24 in Thrilling Test at Loftus

• Springboks opened Test season with a commanding 42-24 win over Italy at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria
• Captain Jesse Kriel inspired early dominance as South Africa ran riot in the first half of the game
• Italy fought back with a resilient second-half performance, but Marco van Staden sealed it late for the hosts

The Springboks kicked off their Test season with a dominant 42-24 win over a stubborn Italian side at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. It was a game of two halves with the Boks dominating the first half, but the Italians tried to claw their way back into the game after the break.

The Boks finally had their breakthrough when captain Jesse Kriel, who led the Boks in the absence of the injured Siya Kolisi, scored the team's first try in the 11th minute, chasing down a well-weighted grubber kick to draw first blood.

Handré Pollard's incision came into the party when he made the follow-up conversion. The Italians kept the Boks at bay with their resilient defence that was a spanner in the works for the South Africans.

Italy push back with grit

After the initial onslaught from the ferocious Boks, the Azzurri survived the storm and got their tails up. They were soon on the offensive, and their counter-rucking was superb. Poor discipline from the Italians saw Lorenzo Cannone sent to the bin for a cynical foul, and a yellow card was flashed to him.

The Boks returned to the ascendancy when Morne van den Berg and Pollard combined telepathically to take South Africa to 14–0 with a well-converted try.

Italy fight back

The Italians fought their way back into the game when they were awarded a penalty, which flyhalf Giacomo De Re Land scored excellently. A moment of sheer brilliance followed and led to another brilliant conversion from Pollard, after lightning pace from Kurt-Lee Arendse.

Van den Berg ensured that the Boks went to the breather on the front foot with an incredible try, before Pollard made the follow-up conversion.

Italy roared back after the break, turning up the intensity with four spirited tries, standout finishes from Pablo Dimcheff and Niccolò Cannone slicing the deficit to 35-24 and rattling the hosts. But just when the visitors threatened to make it a nervy finish, Marco van Staden barged over in the dying moments, slamming the door shut and sealing a 42-24 victory for the Boks.

South Africans celebrate the Boks

@Angelina Botha

"Well done, Bokke"

@Leighton Jansen

"Cool game, excellent play from the Bokke"

@Khabzela Notwana

"The second half was poor, but anyway, congratulations to the Bokkes"

@Palesa Mohasi

"Wow, wonderful"

@Nico Mboya

"go bokke"

@Gogs Mamag

"diluted DNA in that second half"

@ Desire van der Merwe

"Great win for the Boks. The second half could have been better, but a win is a win"

Jesse Kriel reacts after replacing Kolisi as Boks' captain

Briefly News earlier reported that Kriel broke his silence after being named Springboks captain in the absence of Siya Kolisi for the clash against the Barbarians over the weekend.

The Sharks star was part of the Boks team named by Rassie Erasmus, but suffered an injury before the match and had to be withdrawn from the squad.

Source: Briefly News