Fresh off a bruising battle in Paris, the Springboks are battered but unbowed — and already turning their focus to the next challenge: Italy in Turin on Saturday.
With sore bodies across the squad and lock Lood de Jager’s disciplinary hearing hanging in the balance, head coach Rassie Erasmus is holding off on naming his match-day 23 as the world champions prepare to do the Italian job.
Following their gutsy win over France — with just 14 men for the entire second half after the red card to De Jager — the Boks are intent on keeping their momentum rolling while managing workloads ahead of a blockbuster clash with Ireland in two weeks.
While the team should feature some mainstay faces, the expectation is that Erasmus will freshen up the side for the match at the Allianz Stadium. Rotation ahead of the duel with Ireland in a couple of weeks is necessary, while giving certain fringe players a run will keep the squad battle-ready.
According to assistant coach Tony Brown, the Boks have put the France victory behind them and are back in preparation mode. De Jager is expected to have his disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, with the outcome likely on Wednesday.
Brown dismissed talk that the Italians won’t be as physical as France, but said they’ll bring a very different challenge. The last time South Africa faced Italy, they played a second-string Azzurri; however, the team coached by Gonzalo Quesada will be at full strength this weekend.
It’s a permanent red for Lood de Jager 🚨🟥
The Springboks must play the rest of the game with 14 men 🏉
📺 Stream #QuilterNS on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/OslzWjruMQ
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) November 8, 2025
“The entire team has moved on to Italy following the win over France, and if you watched them play against Australia, we’re in for a tough challenge. They are passionate at home, just like the French,” Brown said.
“Italy were outstanding against the Aussies. They have massive threats at the breakdown and have made numerous turnovers in that area. They’re also very dangerous when they get space and opportunities.
“We are definitely not taking Italy lightly and will put the best team possible on the field. We’ll prepare accordingly. If our preparation is off, they will be very dangerous on Saturday.”
Fresh faces like Handré Pollard, Ethan Hooker, Canan Moodie, and Marco van Staden are expected to feature this weekend. This will give the Boks a chance to rest some of their stars who put in a tough shift against the French.
Brown said it was a massive game this past weekend — one that had been talked up for a very long time — and the team had a big week of preparation leading into it.
“There was a lot of media around France trying to get revenge and things like that. But we only focused on our performance and doing everything we could to win the game in Paris. We’ll now look to keep 15 men on the field against Italy,” Brown said with a laugh.
“That’s what we want to do. We want to make sure we don’t have any of those moments this weekend where we lose a player and have to play with 14. But we have to commend the team for their effort and the physicality they played with — it was huge.
A powerhouse performance for the #Springboks in Paris 💪#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/7G1yZNqxot
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 10, 2025
“We always felt as though we had France under pressure.”
Brown added that De Jager’s card before halftime actually helped them in a sense, as it allowed the coaches to regroup in the sheds and adjust their plans for the lineout, scrum, defence, and attack. He said they were able to give the players more clarity in the changeroom about what they wanted to do with 14 men on the field.
“We got a little bit lucky with that, and the players went out and executed the new plan perfectly.”
