South Africa finally opened their account on the year-end tour of Europe with an emphatic 32-10 win over a game Italian outfit at Stadio Friuli, Udine, on Saturday.

Outscoring the Italians by four tries to one, the Springboks showed they are far from the spent force some critics had made them out to be.

There were a few hiccups, such as when they allowed the Italians back into the game late in the first half, but overall it was a commanding performance from a Bok team that may just have found an answer to their scrum woes in the form of BJ Botha.

Whew! Up and down the length and breadth of South Africa there was a huge sigh of relief. The wheels were back on the Springbok limousine!

It was not a performance of great consistency but in the end it was a scoreline that will please South Africans - rather like the anthem this time - not exciting but comfortable, at least not silly.

Both sides had good periods. For South Africa a good period started with a gross late charge by Simone Favaro in the first minute. While he sat contemplating his sinfulness in the bin, South Africa scored two tries.

For Italy, the good period started after the second scrum. The first was a South African scrum and it was stable. The second, after Danie Rossouw yet again lost the ball in a tackle, was on Italy's ball. They held it at the back and marched the dilapidated Springbok scrum to a penalty. That seemed to lift Italian spirits and they played with greater confidence, climaxing in Gonzalo Garcia's try. In that half Craig Gower missed three kickable penalties and the half ended 12-7 to South Africa.

Gower was not the only wayward kicker on the day as Luke McLean also missed one and Morné Steyn, the coolest kicker in the world, missed two penalty attempts and a conversion.

The second period of Springbok success started when changes in the pack led to line-out success and, at last, scrumming success. Italy were not a threat again.

With 20 minutes to go the Springboks brought Tendai Mtawarira to loosehead and BJ Botha to tighthead and moved John Smit to hooker - an all-Sharks front row and what a difference. Suddenly Castrogiovanni was being blown away. It was the best Springbok scrumming since the first Test against the Lions.

The Springboks ran from the start but there is nothing wrong with Italian tackling in 2009 - firm and clean. But then they went wide right, got quick ball and went wide left where Ryan Kankowski spun away from Gower and gave inside to Bryan Habana who raced over far out. 5-0 after 5 minutes.

After Adi Jacobs had a break and Zane Kirchner chipped the Springboks were thwarted by the covering of Mirco Bergamasco.

There was a lot of kicking in the game and the Italians did not do a-it as well as the Springboks who bled them of 14 points off two kicks.

McLean kicked poor kick downfield and Kirchner started running to the left. He gave a long and perfect pass to Heinrich Rossouw who gave a perfect pass to Habana who cut back infield and then popped a pass to Jaque Fourie who scored under the posts. 12-0.

It looked as if the Italians were dead and buried, tumbling into a Dark Age as the invaders looked to overrun them, but the dark ages did not last long. Rossouw lost the ball in a tackle and Italy had a scrum, starting a renaissance.

From their second scrum Alessandro Zanni looked certain to score and probably should have but Brüssow won a turnover off him, on the Springboks line.

A penalty gave Italy an attacking line-out. They mauled - something that did better than the Springboks - and then bashed and suddenly they went wide where Gower went wide and drew Jacobs out of his channel. Gower did a scissors with García who sliced through under the posts. 12-7 after 33 minutes.

Gower and Steyn missed a penalty each before half-time.

Castrogiovanni was off, replaced by Ignacio Rouyet for the second half. without weakening the Italian effort.

Simon Piccone was penalised at a tackle and Steyn at last goaled, making the score 15-7 after 46 minutes.

Victor Matfield and Jean Deysel came on for Bakkies Botha and Kankowski, the first wave of significant changes. For one thing Italy lost four of their next 12 line-outs. And Deysel's power at close-quarters encounters had an impact

South Africa's third try came form a sweeping counterattack and had in it a moment of astonishing skill. Steyn started it just outside his 22 before giving to Rossouw who produced the delicious moment. As he was going down in a tackle near touch with his right hand he slipped in underarm pass of great delicacy to Fourie on his outside. Fourie cut in from touch and gave to Habana who raced towards the posts and seemed likely to score till he passed to Fourie Du Preez on his right and the scrumhalf sped over for the try. 22-7.

With 20 minutes to go Gower goaled a penalty against Smit at a scrum and then the Springboks made changes which could have significance in the future. On came Mtawarira and Botha, and suddenly the Springbok scrum got on top Italy had no more chances to win the match.

When Mauro Bergamasco was penalised at a maul, Steyn made it 25-10 at which stage Ruan Pienaar came to flyhalf and Wynand Olivier to inside centre.

A penalty gave the Springboks an attacking line-out on their right. Smit threw perfectly and deep to Matfield who played it down from his Alpine height to Du Preez who juggled and the broke on a diagonal going left. As the defence closed on him he gave to Olivier who crashed over for the try.

Man of the Match: Jaque Fourie made and scored a try, and was influential in two others. He is our Man of the Match.

Moment of the Match: That try by Fourie Du Preez with the exquisite Danie Rossouw pass in the build-up.

Villain of the Match: Simone Favaro. His late charge was nasty and meant to hurt. The biggest damage was to his own side as the Springboks scored two tries while he was in the sin bin.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Try: Garcia
Con: Gower
Pen: Gower

For South Africa:
Tries: Habana, Fourie, Du Preez, Olivier
Cons: Steyn 2, Pienaar
Pens: Steyn 2

Yellow card: Alessandro Zanni (Italy, 2 - foul play, late shoulder charge)

Teams:

Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Matteo Pratichetti, 13 Alberto Sgarbi, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Craig Gower, 9 Simon Piccone, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Alessandro Zanni, 6 Simone Favaro, 5 Quintin Geldenhuys, 4 Carlo Del Fava, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Fabio Ongaro, 1 Salvatore Perugini
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Ignacio Rouyet, 18 Antonio Pavanello, 19 Josh Sole, 20 Mauro Bergamasco, 21 Tito Tebaldi, 22 Gonzalo Canale

South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Adi Jacobs, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Danie Rossouw, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (captain), 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Tendai Mtawarira, 17 BJ Botha, 18 Victor Matfield, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 François Hougaard, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Wynand Olivier.

365

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