The Springboks played Italy in a Test for the first time in 1995 when they were reigning as World Champions. They won the match 40-21, and since then have played Italy 10 times.
The Springboks have won all 11 but then unusually for Northern Hemisphere teams, Italy have played more Tests against South Africa in South Africa rather than at home – seven in South Africa vs four at home. But those 11 matches were not the first rugby contacts between the two countries.
Rugby in Italy started to get organised in the late 1920’s. Before that it was a haphazard affair when wandering Brits and contact with France that had led to matches here and there. In the 1920’s it enjoyed the support of Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy, a man who saw himself as the emperor of a new Roman Empire. As in imperial times, people enjoyed the blood sport of the amphitheatre, so in this new empire Il Duce would have rugby. Not that he had played the game as at 1,69 he would have been small even as a scrumhalf.
rugby365
In 1928 Italy formed its governing body – Federazione Italiana Rugby. In 1928 it held its first championship, won by Ambrosiana Milano. Even then firms were involved. The next year there were two clubs with Mussolini’s name attached to them – GS Mussolini Milano and Mussolini Fiat. That year, too, Italy played Spain twice, losing in Barcelona and winning in Milan -Italy’s first two Tests.
Then came the war with Il Duce and the Italian people allied to the Fuhrer and the Germans. Not that the Italians fought with the same zeal as the Germans did and when the Allied forces fought there grim way up the leg of Italy, it was the Germans who opposed them.
In North Africa South African and New Zealand soldiers had scrummed and tackled in the desert and in bars, wherever they could meet. They even had a rugby match on the eve of the start of the Battle of El Alamein. And as they worked their way up Italy, they fought the Germans on the battlefield and one another on the rugby field, climaxing with the match in Rapallo.
In the late 1960’s / early 1970’s, South Africans began to play for club sides in Italy, as did Argentinians, Australians and New Zealanders. The first South African was Taillefer (Tai) Krige, son of Uys, grandson of Japie, a centre for Transvaal before playing for Roma from 1969 to 1972, now a wellknown cameraman. Since Krige some 300 South Africans have played club rugby in Italy. They include Springboks – Naas Botha and his brother Darius, Guy Kebble, Jannie Breedt, Gert Smal, Rob Louw, Danie Gerber, Adri Geldenhuys, Vlok Cilliers, Robbie Brink, Dugald Macdonald, Nick Mallett, Hugh Reece-Edwards, Adriaan Richter, Franco Smith, Rudolf Straeuli, Joel Stransky, Tiaan Strauss, Fritz van Heerden, AJ Venter, Wim Visser and Nico Wegner.
Some South Africans have played for Italy – Gert Peens, Roland de Marigny, Quinton Geldenhuys, Jaco Erasmus, Corné van Zyl, Benjamin de Jager, Dario Christolini of Kempton Park, the Cuttita twins who went to Craven Week for Natal, Ambrogio Bona who went to school at Marist Brothers in Johannesburg and captained Italy nearly 20 times, Tobie Botes, Tito Lupini who was born in Johannesburg and educated at Hyde Park High School, and Carlo del Fava who was born in South Africa and educated at Queen’s College.
Part of the attraction of playing in Italy was a more relaxed view of the amateur principle which pertained before 1995. One of the early South Africans was Des Newton who went from Karroo sheep farm to St Andrew’s in Grahamstown and on to Stellenbosch University and on to False Bay Rugby Club – an energetic, exciting centre who loved the game. He tells of his experience.
“Soon after arriving at Rome airport to play for the Rugby Roma Olympic Club I was presented with a brown envelope with my monthly salary in cash equivalent to R 300.00. I said I could not accept it as the letter from Alex Kellermann [the SA Rugby Board secretary] said I could receive no remuneration for playing or coaching of the game of Rugby Football.
“Aldo Lugari, the boss of Algida Ice Cream Company, sponsors of Roma Rugby, then put me on the payroll as an inspettotori di gelato. There was no such post but in true Italian style and humour the problem of professionalism was addressed.
“In true Italian style the rugby team soon took me with them everywhere to sample Algida ice cream, with the account going back to head office. We cleaned out one stall at Piazza Navona, resulting in my badge being revoked and I was withdrawn as an inspector and employed as a casual in order to get my brown envelope.
“Upon arriving back in South Africa, Dr Craven was delighted I did not break the code of amateurism!”
In 1973 Italy went on its second tour outside of Europe. Three years before they had gone to Madagascar but this time they went to Rhodesia and South Africa, coached by Springbok prop Amos du Plooy, and playing nine matches. They won just one, beating the Leopards 24-4 in Port Elizabeth. The next year the Leopards went on tour to Italy. The match between the Leopards and Italy counts as a Test match in Italian records. Italy won that 25-10.
In 1974 too, the first-ever South African Schools team was chosen and it went on tour to Italy and France. They played nine matches, the first five in Rome, Frascati, Reggio di Calabria, Naples and Genoa. They won all nine matches comfortably. One of the players was Nick Mallett, who would later play for South Africa and for Rovigo and coach Italy.
Italian Rugby is affiliated to the National Olympic Committee (CONI) and in those days of increasing international opposition to apartheid, contacts at team level ceased until 1995.
In the 1990’s South Africa came out of the gloom of Apartheid into the bright sunshine of universal acceptance and even admiration. South Africa hosted the World Cup that year and Italy were back in South Africa. They played Western Samoa, England and Argentina. They lost the first two – just 27-20 to England – and beat Argentina.
Then rugby was officially declared open to professionalism, not that Italy had a big adjustment to make.
In November Kitch Christie took his Springboks to Europe and the first stop was Italy who proved no push-over. Fifteen minutes into the second half Italy led 21-17. But then the Springboks took over.
Scorers:
Italy:
- Tries: O Arancio (1), C Orlandi (1)
- Conversion: D Dominguez (1)
- Penalties: D Dominguez (3)
South Africa:
- Tries: Japie Mulder (1), Penalty Try, Francois Pienaar (1), Hennie le Roux (1)
- Conversions: Joel Stransky (4)
- Penalties: Joel Stransky (4)
Teams:
Italy: F Williams, P Vaccari, S Bordon, I Francescato, N Mazzucato (replaced by R Crotti), D Dominguez, A Troncon, O Arancio, A Sgorlon, M Giovanelli, M Giacheri, P Pedroni, F Properzi-Curti, C Orlandi, M Cuttitta (Captain).
South Africa: 15 Andre Joubert (replaced by Jacques Olivier), 14 James Small, 13 Japie Mulder, 12 Hennie le Roux, 11 Chster Williams, 10 Joel Stransky, 9 Joost van der Westhuizen, 8 Fritz van Heerden, 7 Ruben Kruger, 6 Francois Pienaar (Captain), 5 Mark Andrews, 4 Kobus Wiese, 3 Tommie Laubscher, 2 James Dalton, 1 Toks van der Linde.
Referee: SJD Lander (England)
In 2000 the Five Nations was expanded to Six Nations with the inclusion of Italy. Italians entered enthusiastically into the spirit of the competition on the field and in the stands. Where 25 years ago crowds were small and entry often free, now the grounds were packed with cheerful fans, many dressed in ancient Roman garb.
Northern Italy, wealthier and regarded as more energetic than the south, the land of Mezzogiorno, remains the main force in Italian rugby but Rome and L’Aquila have strong sides. Of the four Tests the Springboks have played in Italy, 3 have been in the north, as indeed is the case with this weekend’s Test – in Padua or, in Italian, Padova which is near Venice.
Results – South Africa vs Italy:
- 1995: South Africa won 40-21 in Rome
- 1997: South Africa won 62-3 in Bologna
- 1999: South Africa won 101-0 in Durban
- 1999: South Africa won 74-3 in Pt Elizabeth
- 2001: South Africa won 60-14 in Pt Elizabeth
- 2001: South Africa won 54-26 in Genoa
- 2008: South Africa won 26-0 at Newlands
- 2009: South Africa won 32-10 in Udine
- 2010: South Africa won 29-13 in Witbank
- 2010: South Africa won in East London
- 2013: South Africa won 44-10 in Durban