MAN DOWN BOKS MAN UP

THE Springboks weet nie van verloor af nie. Not even after being cut to 14 men and at one stage 13 as the world champions klapped Italy 32-14 in Turin on Saturday.

This time around a farce of a decision to red card lock Franco Mostert made it feel as if the Boks were playing 16 Italians as referee James Doleman made the big call to limit captain Siya Kolisi and his team to 14 manne.

However, staying true to their word of not letting swak refereeing smokkel met hul koppe, Kolisi’s troops stood up, snuffing out attack after attack by the Azzurri, with fullback and man of the match Damian Willemse playing a starring role.

And it was karma-like as the Boks turned the Mostert

setback into motivation by soaking in the Italian pressure, before a Handre Pollard penalty and try by Marco van Staden secured a 10-3 halftime lead.

Italy again had a vrag kanse to put the Boks under pressure in the second half, but flyhalf Paolo Garbissi’s three missed penalties, made the Bokke grow stronger – even after they had to sacrifice nog ‘n speler.

Van Staden’s yellow card in die 51st minute put the Boks back on the backfoot for 10 minutes, but just before that period, the South Africans capitalised as Pollard kicked a second penalty before scrumhalf Morne van den Berg crossed for the visitors’ tweede drie.

Italy replied with a try by Ange Capuozzo, but that didn’t make the Bokke skrik as replacement nine Grant Williams finished off a brilliant break by Canan Moodie, before Ethan Hooker delivered the doodskoot, scoring his first try for the Bokke in the 78th minute of the game.