Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Springboks finally come right as they beat Italy in Udine

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Springboks finally come right as they beat Italy in Udine

South Africa scored four tries to get their end of year tour back on track as they beat Italy 32-10 in Udine earlier today.

The tour so far has been less than satisfactory, as they've lost to Leicester and Saracens in warm up matches, and France in their first Test. Today they put things right though, as despite Italy's valiant challenge, the South Africans came out on top with a comfortable win in the end.

Wing Bryan Habana, sporting his best Movember moustache for the occasion, scored early on with a nice try in the corner before he turned provider for Jaque Fourie to score under the posts.

Flyhalf Morne Steyn had a rare off day with the boot, but still managed to kick two penalties and converted two of South Africa's four tries.

Italy came back into the game late in the first half as flyhalf Craig Gower set up Gonzalo Garcia for a nice try that split the Bok midfield defence in two.

Italy powered through a number of scrums, but the Springboks moved captain and prop John Smit to hooker, resulting in a far more stable scrum, and the Boks turning things around as they drove through the Italians on a few occasions later in the game.

Scrumhalf Fourie Du Preez finished off an excellent team try in the 53rd minute as South Africa looked totally in charge in the last quarter. Replacement Wynand Olivier then sealed the win in the closing stages with his first Test try.

Time: 06:03

first, world champion at this!

By Anonymous, at November 21, 2009 5:44 pm
^ what does that even mean?

Anyway, good game for the Boks. Relief! :P

Some of those tries were excellent though. Finally clicking I hope.

Once again though, great to see such a passionate and strong Italian crowd at the match. :)

By Dave, at November 21, 2009 5:46 pm
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

By Anonymous, at November 21, 2009 6:02 pm
Thank goodness!!
Still looked rusty at times, my 2cents to Div for the irish game:
1) Keep smitty at 2
2) Put Oliver to start(Jacobs was useless and his error handed the italians their try)
BOKKE!!

By BringFSteynback, at November 21, 2009 6:04 pm
Dave I think the anon above you meant that he was 1st to comment again and that he is a world champ at that...sad but true!!

By Anonymous, at November 21, 2009 6:05 pm
So he's an Anonymous world champion? Fantastic achievement. One would have thought he'd use a name if he's so proud of getting the (apparently) highly sought after 'FIRST!' title.

About the game.. Olivier is getting better. I used to find him quite one dimensional but his passing is incredibly pinpoint accurate and he seems to sums things up well. Certainly no worse than Jacobs at the moment.

Kanko played a little better this week too, which is good.

By Dave, at November 21, 2009 6:55 pm
Still not the good solid bok rugby I'm use to but I will take the win...Div needs to sort out our best 15 for the irish game..
GO THE BOKS, SORT IT OUT!!

By BOKFAN4LIFE, at November 21, 2009 6:56 pm
My Bok team for the irish game:

1. Beast
2. Smit
3. BJ
4. Bakkies
5. Matfield
6. Brussouw
7. Deysel
8. Russouw
9. Du Preez
10. Steyn
11. Habana
12. Olivier
13. Fourie
14. Pietersen
15. Kirchner

16. Wian
17. Straus
18. Bekker
19. Kanko
20. Pienaar
21. Hougaard
22. Jacobs

Come on Div - you can do it!

By BOKFAN4LIFE, at November 21, 2009 7:04 pm
we mauled the italian scrum when smit went to hooker and beast came on...

By Anonymous, at November 21, 2009 7:06 pm
^^^ Do you think our coach noticed???? LETS HOPE SO!! And the smile from Smitty when he was put back to 2!!!

By Anonymous, at November 21, 2009 7:09 pm
Boks great...and also Italy played well given they're ranked 12th.
Overall a decent rugby game for the cheering spectators in Udine.

By Anonymous, at November 21, 2009 7:36 pm
Who has stolen MSteyns kicking boots?? He had a shocker today...

By Anonymous, at November 21, 2009 7:42 pm
Still not good enough boks, what the hell has happend to us between the trinations and now???? What is PDiv playing at!!!????

By Gilbert, at November 21, 2009 8:24 pm
Been a long year Gilbert, plus we're missing a few stars

By Anonymous, at November 21, 2009 8:30 pm
Didn't see game, who was SA No.7, or did Burger recover from his injury last week?

Interesting that SA also moved the ball about. Well I'm only assuming as all tries came from backs. Hope next week in Croke Park is a cracker and that I get there, waiting on news of a ticket.

By Huh!! the 3rd, at November 21, 2009 9:10 pm
I see the Irishmen winning the next game, but I may be wrong.
A frenchman

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 12:04 am
Jacque Fourie is a monster! What a bril rugby player and deserved man of the match. Du Preez a close 2nd though!
Other than that, not much else to shout about. We started well and then went to sleep...

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 12:07 am
Beast John BJ

Now we have a front row.

By Robert, at November 22, 2009 12:10 am
Huh!! the 3rd - Danie Rossouw stood in for Burger and he had a brilliant game.

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 12:12 am
Don't be fooled, BJ was just along for the ride. It was all Beast and Smit. Problem is, what do you do with Bizmark? His general play is sublime.

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 1:17 am
Still not our top team.

I know Danie had a good game, but he's a lock not a flanker.

Adi Jacobs needs to go same with Kankowski.

Nothing wrong with Morne's kicking, it was a different designed ball I heard to commentators say.

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 2:40 am
^ kanko had a much better run this weekend than the previous, still doesn't seem to take his S14 form into international level - I think this was his last chance to start....

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 2:52 am
Olivier needs to start, BLUE BULLS 4 EVER

By McBull, at November 22, 2009 5:11 am
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 7:32 am
why has habana developed this sort of basketball pass thing he does? for fourie and du preez try he sets them up with this little chest pass. strange kid, and an even stranger moustache.

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 1:54 pm
whats up with habanas passing? not netball

By geordie, at November 22, 2009 2:10 pm
^ if you've achieved all he has, it would be ok for you to be strange as well!

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 2:12 pm
Who cares how he passes, as long as it hits the target - he could even bowl it to them for all I care!! COME ON BOKKE!!!

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 2:13 pm
Like this commentator - he sure knows how to pronounce the Boks names correctly and his rugby knowledge about each player is really good!
And I never like commentators!!

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 2:20 pm
Won this game comfortably without stepping out of 1st gear. When Smit reverted back to hooker and BJ came on at tighthead we massacred an very strong Italian scrum. I hope PDV sees sense and picks this front row against an weak Irish scrum.

By Unknown, at November 22, 2009 2:43 pm
i think the Italian try was the best of the game. Could of been read though maybe? Steyn's boot not up to scratch

By Cheesy, at November 22, 2009 3:15 pm
^ come on the boks team try ( Du Preez) was much better! The italian try was the mistake of Jacobs, he has got to go!!!

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 3:32 pm
Cannot believe Scotland beat OZ!!! wtf!!!???

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 3:34 pm
Smitty back to hooker and Olivier to start angainst the irish!

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 4:03 pm
To Syd Bazza
Piss off to the Australia Scotland game mate. You guys had chances all night and never took them. We dont want to hear your whinging. Period. Good game. Italy looking better by the year.

By Jacques, at November 22, 2009 5:18 pm
Good to see the Boks running again and hopefully that performance puts them in the right mood for the big one against Ireland.

BOKFAN4LIFE I like the look of your suggested team for the final game but I would change Rossouw back to 7 and keep Kankowski at 8. Deysel deserves 10-15mins but not a start yet...

C'MON the Boks...!!!

By durrie, at November 22, 2009 7:15 pm
Wonderful 3rd try

By Anonymous, at November 22, 2009 7:44 pm
Why Italy can't have anymore a 10 who kick and pass well at the same time?! :(

anyway... Thanks to Jacob (& PdV) for our try!!

By Madflyhalf, at November 22, 2009 7:51 pm
Who cares how Bryan Habana passes it? if he went for the usual rugby style pass it would have hit the Italian defenders in the torso, both times he had to go over them.

Btw, Bryan Habana has got to have the coolest look in rugby at the moment. Looks like a little Spaniard speedy Gonzales.

By Itchy Kawa, at November 23, 2009 2:28 am
"whats up with habanas passing? not netball"

he had to pass over the italian's head, please stop being childish.

By Anonymous, at November 23, 2009 2:40 am
SPRINGBOKS GREATEST TEAM IN THE WORLD IRB TEAM OF THE YEAR YEAHH!!!! SO PROUD

By Anonymous, at November 23, 2009 5:46 am
^^^...dunno why you'd call him racist, he's just making a joke (and not a particularly racist one, at that).

I think someone else mentioned it on here - if the Italians had someone who could kick the ball AND deliver it, the score would've been much too close for Bokke comfort.

Even compared to last year - or this year's 6N - the Italians seem to improve 1000% each time. It's crazy. The way they drive those scrums...it's something even a back can get excited about!

When South Africa scored, they seemed to make it look so easy - maybe that's why they've been number 1 this year.

By fivel, at November 23, 2009 7:27 am
Also, that South African physio (or whatever she does) is a looker, indeed.

I remember at one point, near the SA try line, she was yelling from touch to SA players on how to organize the defensive line. Getting pumped up about rugby? Now that's my kind of lady!

By fivel, at November 23, 2009 7:31 am
"Springboks finally come right as they beat Italy in Udine"

There was nothing wrong with the real Boks, bro.

By Anonymous, at November 23, 2009 3:59 pm
What u mean finally got it right? We lost 1 game... Its bound to happen sometime...

Btw it was BJ botha who made the difference to the scrum not beast, although his strength did help...

By Anonymous, at November 24, 2009 1:13 pm
Smit, who moved to hooker, helped stabilise the scrum. BJ and Beast came on at the same time. Since BJ's been exposed before, one would have to give more credit to the underrated Beast (most uneducated fans feel he's simply a "quota" player).

By Anonymous, at November 24, 2009 2:17 pm
^I dunno, I think most people see that he's a developing player who is already doing some great work, especially in the scrum and in his attacking runs.

The only thing that I'd say most of us outside of SA (and from it sounds like, even those in SA, too) are confused about is if he can keep playing for the Boks with his current Zimbabwean status.

By delorean, at November 24, 2009 7:51 pm
'Finally' because they've been on tour for a few weeks now, and had lost 3 out of 3 until this match. Technically it's the Springboks in all three matches unfortunately, as the records will show in fifty years time.

They scored some awesome tries in this match though, so just need to get it together again vs Ireland.

By Greiffel, at November 24, 2009 8:45 pm
They were not the real Springboks

By Anonymous, at November 26, 2009 2:06 pm