Italy claimed their first ever victory over South Africa on Saturday, stunning the southern hemisphere giants 20-18 in Florence in what Springboks coach Allister Coetzee called the darkest moment of his career.
A delirious home crowd gave their team a standing ovation after the match as the visitors formed a huddle mid-pitch, reviving memories of their shock loss to Japan in last year’s World Cup.
Both sides scored two tries, but Italy fed off repeated South Africa mistakes and grew in confidence as the game wore on.
“I am extremely proud,” veteran Italy captain Sergio Parisse said, calling it the best day for Italian rugby.
His coach, Conor O’Shea, was equally happy.
“For us, this is just a start but it’s a very good one,” O’Shea told reporters.
His South African counterpart Coetzee, facing mounting calls for him to be sacked, described it as embarrassing.
“It’s the darkest moment of my coaching career,” Coetzee said, sat beside his stony-faced captain, Adriaan Strauss.
“For us there is a mountain to climb and as a group we have to take full responsibility,” he added.
Asked if he should quit, he suggested South African rugby authorities would decide his future and said he still felt he had a role to play to rebuild.
“I still think so,” he said. “I don’t think I have lost the changing room.”
South Africa seemed intent on register an emphatic win, opening with a try to Bryan Habana and turning down chances to kick penalties.
But their game was riddled with errors as they passed balls into touch, failed to penetrate with their rolling maul and spilled the possession deep in Italian territory.
Italy threw themselves into tackles and defended their line fiercely. They matched South Africa in the scrum and showed them up in the maul.
Within moments of Habana’s try, after South Africa messed up the restart, Italy’s South African-born lock Andries Van Schalkwyk replied, crossing the line from a rolling maul.
From there, the lead see-sawed as centre Damian de Allende ran in a second try for the visitors and Italy hit back with winger Giovanbattista Venditti touching down with barely 20 minutes to go.
Italy had a try disallowed in the dying moments of the match, but by then a famous victory was secured thanks to an earlier penalty goal by Carlo Canna.
superba
Guest
Correct Pim . That is the story of South Africa That is the story of Africa .
pim
Guest
The sad part is that this ANC government with its minister of sport Fikele Mbalula now gives the instructions to the SA Rugby Board who should be coach,management of the rugby board & quotas on black players . One of the problems is that the government see rugby as a white privileged sport and rugby has done very well over the years as compared to soccer. Soccer is played by mainly black players(there was not one white player in the 2010 soccer world cup team) In 1996 SA won the Africa Cup of nations soccer with a mix of players white & black reached 19th on the Fifa rankings Whereas SA soccer in 2016 is in 62nd position. Sadly rugby is going the same way as soccer & that seems to satisfy the powers that be . In SA at the moment the government & its followers now accept that the lowest common denominator is good enough. and not striving to lift those sports or government institutions to achieve the best possible results. Much easier that way.
Harry Jones
Expert
Is it really even an 'upset' any more?
pim
Guest
Yes, an absolute disgrace...a few weeks before he facilitated a 2 day South African "way forward " rugby think tank with most of the top rugby brains(feels like we do not really have any) and lo & behold in the last 2 weeks he was part of the Italian coaching side. Sure loyalties don't pay the bills but plotting defeat against your own countries team with all the inside info is mercenary to say the least. How low can you go Brendon?
wyn
Guest
Well said bigbaz :) had a good chuckle
lewismarsh
Roar Rookie
I dont like to say it but that effort was an embarrassing disgrace from the boks. Ben your right about this game as a watershed moment. Its either do something or Bok rugby is over. I think they need some (full on purge!) heads to roll, starting with the coaching box and not stopping until the rot is cut out of the system.
JimmyB
Guest
Very many congratulations to Italy on an historic victory that hopefully might reinvigorate Italian rugby, but huge commiserations to Bok fans, what can one say, there's a lot of records tumbling in Springbok rugby right now...none of them good ones. Surely time for a change.
bigbaz
Roar Guru
Geez SA wtf We in Aussie land are used to these type of wtf happened results but not you guys. Get well soon
Phantom
Roar Rookie
I can't help but feel for their most ardent supporters like Harry and Co whose articles I really enjoy reading for a completely different perspective. If this was the ABs I would be absolutely gutted.
Duanes Beard
Guest
PDV is worse than Coetzee, his saving grace was that he inherited a world cup winning team from Jake White and had many senior players that essentially coached the team. Springboks need a good kiwi coach like Joe Schmidt but to do that we need to get rid of transformation.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Recall Jake White or promote Death-Stare Ackermann or, if they absolutely need a black coach, try and get Pieter de Villiers back or something. Anything to get Coetzee out of the job. He's a disgrace. Has no clue, no plan and blames his players when they lose following his horrendous game plans. It's heartbreaking to see how far they've fallen so quickly. Almost beat New Zealand in the WC semis just over 12 months ago, now they're losing to Italy.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Does seem as though the powers that be don't care if the Boks fall from grace and the systematic dismantling of the Springbok legacy is nearly complete. They seem to have made it the prime example of the oppressive regime and the cost it signified during the period of its best years. Understandable in that context, and not a lot can be done to stem that tide without significant change of heart from the top. Easy to say just drop the quota but that is clearly a myopic view. This Bok side is actually a very good one but without a heart nothing can live on. Expect a few more NH contracts to be written up before these boys leave the NH in a few weeks.
Ben
Guest
If theres not a cleanout of SAFA rugby now then theres no hope. Coach cannot stay. Feel for safa supporters as their love of rugby is like us kiwis. The Japan loss, record hiding by the ABs in SA, now this. Turmoil. Releasing players to europe was an error too. Once a proud rugby nation. Recall Jake White...or something...i dunno.. but dont do nothing.
Garth
Guest
Sad to say but I called this last Sunday. An Italian friend watched the NZ - Italy test (her first ever rugby game), mainly to see if she could spot her husband who was working security, and was horrified by the score line. I sent her a message to the effect that this weekend Italy had an even chance to beat South Africa for the first time, mainly due to how poor the Springboks had played their last three games. In other rugby news, Scotland and Wales narrowly surviving against Argentina and Japan respectively. Should be some good games next weekend.
Duanes Beard
Guest
This was the best result that could have happened. The results of picking unqualified people to coach a professional sports team because of the color of their skin. Allistair Coetzee is a joke, it is common knowledge that it was the senior players running the show at the stormers. PDV was the exact same thing, the man is a former springbok coach and is coaching in Namibia because no one else will hire him. Bok fans need to organise and boycott all professional rugby games in South Africa until players/coaches are picked on merit and an administration that is adamant on implementing the structures to give the springboks the best chance of reaching their potential.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
When a coach's ego gets in the way of what is best for the team it is a disgrace. Even worse when said coach's ego is ruining a national team. Coetzee should resign. Very sad. Nothing more can be said.
etienne marais
Guest
Not to make light of it, but Brendan Venter was probably the best of the South Africans on the day.
Mark
Guest
What an absolute disgrace for South African rugby. This should never happen. Italy are a second tier side and the Springboks should be, used to be, one of the very best in the world - consistently in the top 3 since forever. What the hell has happened to rugby in South Africa???
dvebaker
Guest
Surely now, there has to be changes. A strong SA team has been one of the benchmarks for any performance. As an Englishman, I watched, almost gob smacked, at how far the once mighty Boks had fallen last week. But losing to Italy (no offence meant) come on! Enough, sort this out.