Italy 7–66 South Africa: match report & highlights

Full-time: Italy 7 – 66 South Africa

South Africa delivered a masterclass in attacking rugby to demolish Italy with a commanding performance in the Nations Championship. The Springboks established their dominance from the opening kick, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu setting the tone by opening the scoring with a penalty inside the opening minutes. The flyhalf proved instrumental throughout, orchestrating the attack with precision as South Africa built an insurmountable lead. By halftime, the visitors had already seized complete control of proceedings, and Italy found themselves facing an uphill battle that would only grow steeper.

The second half saw South Africa maintain their intensity without relenting. Though Italy managed a consolation try from Federico Ruzza in the 63rd minute, South Africa's forwards continued their destructive work, with further tries extending the gap beyond redemption. Ethan Hooker added a late effort as the Boks ran through their phases with clinical efficiency. Feinberg-Mngomezulu's contribution throughout earned him the Man of the Match award, a fitting recognition for a display that epitomised South Africa's superiority on the day.

Key moments

72' 72' Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 7 – 66 South Africa
71' 71' Try: Ethan Hooker (South Africa) — Italy 7 – 64 South Africa
65' 65' Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 7 – 59 South Africa
64' 64' Try: Paul de Villiers (South Africa) — Italy 7 – 57 South Africa
64' 64' Conversion: Tommaso Allan (Italy) — Italy 7 – 52 South Africa
63' 63' Try: Federico Ruzza (Italy) — Italy 5 – 52 South Africa
51' 51' Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 52 South Africa
50' 50' Try: Wilco Louw (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 50 South Africa
33' 33' Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 45 South Africa
32' 32' Try: Malcolm Marx (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 43 South Africa
26' 26' Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 38 South Africa
25' 25' Try: Damian Willemse (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 36 South Africa
23' 23' Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 31 South Africa
23' 23' Try: Siya Kolisi (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 29 South Africa
20' 20' Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 24 South Africa
20' 20' Try: Malcolm Marx (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 22 South Africa
16' 16' Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 17 South Africa
16' 16' Try: Morne van den Berg (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 15 South Africa
9' 9' Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 10 South Africa
8' 8' Try: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 8 South Africa
6' 6' Penalty: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa) — Italy 0 – 3 South Africa

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Highlights

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