# Springboks Demolish Italy 66-7 in Turin Masterclass Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com) Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/rugby/springboks-demolish-italy-66-7-in-turin-masterclass-2026-11-07-9o6l2r Language: en Published: 2026-11-07T15:01:46.367+00:00 Updated: 2026-11-07T15:01:46.421164+00:00 > South Africa scored nine tries in a 66-7 Nations Championship demolition of Italy in Turin. ## TL;DR - South Africa scored nine tries in a 66-7 Nations Championship demolition of Italy in Turin. - The Springboks led 45-0 at half-time and kept a maximum 20 points from 20 in the table. - Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored 26 points, with a try, nine conversions and a penalty. - Malcolm Marx scored twice from driving mauls in a dominant Springbok set-piece display. - South Africa now face France in Paris on Friday, 13 November. ## Key points - South Africa scored nine tries in a 66-7 Nations Championship demolition of Italy in Turin. - The Springboks led 45-0 at half-time and kept a maximum 20 points from 20 in the table. - Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored 26 points, with a try, nine conversions and a penalty. - Malcolm Marx scored twice from driving mauls in a dominant Springbok set-piece display. - South Africa now face France in Paris on Friday, 13 November. South Africa produced a near-perfect first half and nine tries in all as the Springboks demolished Italy 66-7 in their Nations Championship clash at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Saturday, 7 November 2026. The world champions led 45-0 at half-time and had effectively ended the contest before the interval, scoring seven tries in the opening 40 minutes against an injury-hit Italy side that had no answer to the visitors' pace, power and precision. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored 26 points, including a try, nine conversions and a penalty, while Malcolm Marx crossed twice from driving mauls in a performance that underlined why South Africa remain the team to beat in this tournament. The victory kept South Africa's perfect Nations Championship record intact, with a maximum 20 points from 20 in the Southern Hemisphere table, and left the Springboks 89 points ahead of New Zealand on points difference. It was also South Africa's 19th win in 20 Tests against Italy, whose only success in the fixture remains their famous 20-18 victory in Florence in 2016. ## A first half of total control Feinberg-Mngomezulu opened the scoring with an early penalty before slicing through from 40 metres for the first try of the afternoon, converting his own score to make it 10-0 after eight minutes. From there, the floodgates opened. Morne van den Berg burrowed over from close range, Marx crossed from a driving maul, and Siya Kolisi followed after Feinberg-Mngomezulu had produced a pinpoint 50:22 kick to set up field position. Damian Willemse finished a Jasper Wiese break beneath the posts for South Africa's fifth try, and Italy's problems deepened when prop Muhamed Hasa was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on. Marx capitalised immediately, scoring his second maul try to send the Springboks into the interval 45-0 ahead. Italy had been warned. Before the match, head coach Rassie Erasmus had insisted his side would not underestimate the Azzurri, saying they would be playing at home in front of a passionate crowd and desperate to improve. "We dare not underestimate them," Erasmus said. On the evidence of the first half, his players took the warning seriously, yet the gulf between the sides was still stark. ![Malcolm Marx playing for Kubota Spears in 2021.](https://api.sportsbriefly.com/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1794063687627-mq90mi-rugby-inside1-2026-11-07-evening.jpg) The Springboks' set-piece dominance was the foundation of everything. Marx was immaculate at the lineout, the scrum gave Italy no platform, and the visitors turned almost every visit to the Italian 22 into points. Italy, by contrast, could not hold the ball long enough to build pressure, and their discipline cracked under the strain. ## Italy's brief reply after the break Erasmus deployed his Bomb Squad early in the second half, and Wilco Louw powered through three tackles soon after the restart for South Africa's seventh try. Italy improved as the visitors' intensity dipped, and they were rewarded when lock Federico Ruzza finished a well-worked attack in the corner for their only score, converted by replacement back Tommaso Allan. It proved only a brief interruption. Paul de Villiers crossed from another rolling maul, and Ethan Hooker crashed over with what RugbyPass described as a well-deserved try in the final play to complete the 66-7 scoreline. Feinberg-Mngomezulu's nine conversions meant he finished with a personal haul of 26 points, one of the finest kicking displays of his young international career. Planet Rugby singled out Marx for particular praise, describing his 40-odd minutes as mammoth, with two tries, an assist for another score and 100 per cent accuracy in the lineout. Erasmus removed his hooker early, a mercy move with the game already won, but the damage had been done. ## What the result means The victory leaves South Africa top of the Southern Hemisphere standings and still ranked number one in the world, with New Zealand second on 15 points ahead of their meeting with Scotland at Murrayfield. The All Blacks now have serious ground to make up on points difference after South Africa's ruthless afternoon in Turin. For Italy, the defeat leaves them still without a point after four matches in the Nations Championship, and head coach Gonzalo Quesada faces a difficult task lifting a depleted squad before their remaining fixtures. The Azzurri showed spirit in the second half, and Ruzza's try gave the home crowd something to cheer, but the first-half collapse will be the lasting memory of the day. ![Siya Kolisi playing for South Africa in 2022.](https://api.sportsbriefly.com/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1794063703071-zn87y3-rugby-inside2-2026-11-07-evening.jpg) South Africa, meanwhile, continue to set the pace in the new tournament. Having taken maximum points from every round so far, Erasmus's side have combined the physical dominance that won them back-to-back World Cups with a sharper, faster attacking edge, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu's control at fly-half was central to that again in Turin. ## France awaits in Paris The Springboks will face a far sterner test next, travelling to Paris to face France at the Stade de France on Friday, 13 November. France and Ireland await for the world champions in the coming weeks, and those matches will offer a much clearer measure of where this South Africa side stands. For now, though, the message from Turin is unmistakable. South Africa arrived in Europe with maximum points, refused to take a depleted Italy lightly, and left with a 59-point victory, a perfect record intact and a points-difference cushion that puts real pressure on New Zealand. The chasing pack has been warned. Mentions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Malcolm Marx, Siya Kolisi, Damian Willemse, Morne van den Berg, Federico Ruzza, Tommaso Allan, Rassie Erasmus, Italy, South Africa, Nations Championship, Allianz Stadium, Turin, New Zealand, France, Ethan Hooker, Wilco Louw, Paul de Villiers, Jasper Wiese, Gonzalo Quesada ## Sources - [rugbypass.com](https://www.rugbypass.com/news/springboks-blow-italy-away-to-take-control-of-nations-championship-group-south-africa/) - [thesouthafrican.com](https://www.thesouthafrican.com/sport/rugby/springboks/clinical-springboks-put-italy-to-the-sword-in-turin/) - [ebnewsdaily.co.za](https://www.ebnewsdaily.co.za/2026/11/07/brilliant-boks-smash-italy-in-turin/) - [planetrugby.com](https://www.planetrugby.com/news/springboks-player-ratings-v-italy-sacha-shines-mamoth-marx)