Overview
- Attack coach Tony Brown says Italy are a dangerous, ball-in-hand threat under Gonzalo Quesada and will not be taken lightly.
- Italy arrive boosted by a win over Australia, with flyhalf Tommaso Allan expecting a bruising contest and targeting South Africa’s rush defence.
- Brown notes the squad is battered after the win over France and flags recovery this week as a priority at the team’s base in Italy.
- Coaches identify scrums, mauls and especially the breakdown as the decisive contests in Saturday’s match.
- South Africa draw lessons from the error-strewn Loftus meeting, when breakdown and line-out lapses led to 10 first-half turnovers and an Italian fightback.