PADUA, Italy — There was to be no repeat of Italy’s surprise victory over South Africa as the Springboks thrashed the home side 35-6 in their rugby test in Padua on Saturday. Italy started brightly but South Africa survived the early onslaught and led by three converted tries at halftime. Italy recorded its first victory over South Africa last year, winning 20-18 in Florence, but it has now lost 11 of its 12 matches since then. Italy thought it scored the first try in Padua after 10 minutes but captain Sergio Parisse was penalized for offside. Minutes later, South Africa took a firm grip on the match with a fantastic team move finished by Louw.

Source: National Post November 25, 2017 16:13 UTC