Nine-try green-and-gold hit squad leaves Azzurri begging for mercy as Rassie’s rugby wrecking machine sends France a chilling warning
The Springboks turned Italy’s rugby cathedral into a green-and-gold slaughterhouse on Saturday, unleashing a nine-try rampage that left the Azzurri buried beneath a 66-7 avalanche of South African muscle, menace and merciless finishing.
It was rugby without a mercy button. Rassie Erasmus’s world champions arrived in Turin with their boots sharpened and their sights locked, transforming the Nations Championship encounter into a one-sided execution that had Italian defenders looking for emergency exits.
By half-time, the damage was already catastrophic. South Africa had piled up 45 unanswered points, leaving the hosts with more questions than answers and a scoreboard resembling a cricket scorecard.
The man conducting the orchestra of destruction was Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The young flyhalf produced a 26-point masterclass, scoring a try, kicking a penalty and converting all nine Springbok touchdowns. His boot was as reliable as a Swiss watch, while his attacking instincts left Italian defenders chasing shadows.
Brilliant Boks smash Italy in Turin https://t.co/lZUdZsksxL
— Adnaan Mohamed (@Adnaan1111) November 7, 2026
There was a late twist before kick-off when Springbok lock Salmaan Moerat was withdrawn from the starting XV. Lood de Jager was promoted from the bench, with Franco Mostert moving into the replacements. De Jager would make his presence felt, helping spark the sequence that produced Damian Willemse’s try.
Italy, already missing 16 players through injury, including captain Michele Lamaro and influential centres Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello, were facing a rugby firing squad with their defensive ammunition running dangerously low.
The opening exchanges offered little comfort.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu opened the account with a penalty before turning executioner, slicing around the Italian forwards to score in the corner.
Morné van den Berg followed with a close-range touchdown as the Springbok forwards began treating the Italian defensive line like a revolving door.
Then came the Marxist revolution.
Malcolm Marx powered over from a driving maul, dragging Italian defenders along for the ride. Captain Siya Kolisi joined the party after a magnificent Feinberg-Mngomezulu 50:22 created the perfect launching pad for another forward assault.
The Azzurri were being squeezed like lemons in a rugby vice.
Damian Willemse added further misery after Lood de Jager charged down an Italian pass, with Jasper Wiese collecting possession and combining in the movement before the fullback finished the job.
Italy’s afternoon went from disastrous to downright embarrassing when prop Muhamed Hasa received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on. Marx promptly returned to the crime scene, crossing for his second try as the Springboks exploited their numerical advantage.
At 45-0 at the interval, the Italian dressing room must have resembled a disaster-management meeting.
South Africa had enjoyed 64% possession and 62% territory. The hosts were being bossed at the breakdown, bullied in the collisions and battered at the set-piece.
Erasmus unleashed his celebrated Bomb Squad after the break, bringing fresh ammunition into an already devastating rugby artillery.
Italy briefly showed some backbone through their scrum, but the Springbok juggernaut soon resumed its demolition work.
Jesse Kriel burst through the defensive line before Van den Berg helped recycle possession for replacement prop Wilco Louw to thunder over. Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the extras as the scoreboard continued taking punishment.
The Azzurri finally found something to celebrate in the 61st minute when lock Federico Ruzza finished a well-worked lineout move. Paolo Garbisi converted, giving the home supporters a rare opportunity to exercise their vocal chords.
Their joy was short-lived.
Replacement forward Paul de Villiers finished another devastating rolling maul after South Africa secured a scrum penalty and marched towards the Italian tryline. The Springbok forward pack had become a human bulldozer, with Italy’s defensive barricades offering all the resistance of a garden fence in a hurricane.
Ethan Hooker delivered the final humiliation in the dying seconds, crossing for the ninth try to put the final nail in Italy’s rugby coffin.
The final score read 66-7. Feinberg-Mngomezulu had supplied 26 points, Marx had bagged a brace and the Springboks had delivered a thunderous reminder of their world-champion pedigree.
The victory preserved South Africa’s position at the top of the world rankings and the southern hemisphere Nations Championship standings following their three bonus-point victories against England, Scotland and Wales in July.
There will be no champagne corks popping for too long in the Bok camp. France await at the Stade de France next Friday, and Les Bleus will present a far sterner examination.
Erasmus will demand greater precision after some untidy second-half passages, but his troops have certainly packed their travelling bags with confidence.
Italy have been left nursing nine wounds and a seven-point consolation prize.
France, meanwhile, have received the message.
The Bok war machine is rolling, the ammunition is loaded and the world champions are showing no appetite for taking prisoners.
ITALY – Try: Federico Ruzza. Conversion: Paolo Garbisi.
SPRINGBOKS – Tries: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Morné van den Berg, Malcolm Marx (2), Siya Kolisi, Damian Willemse, Wilco Louw, Paul de Villiers, Ethan Hooker. Conversions: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (9). Penalty: Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
